


Love The One You're With

by 70mtt



Series: Playing with Matches [6]
Category: The Monkees (Band), The Monkees (TV)
Genre: 1960s, Angst and Humor, F/F, F/M, Friendship, Gen, Light Angst, Light Bondage, M/M, Mild Sexual Content, Unresolved Emotional Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-04
Updated: 2020-05-19
Packaged: 2021-02-28 23:21:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 52,688
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23475367
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/70mtt/pseuds/70mtt
Summary: What happens when a guy Peter used to have a crush on comes back into his orbit? Mike's about to find out..
Relationships: Mike Nesmith/Peter Tork
Series: Playing with Matches [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1489175
Comments: 8
Kudos: 34





	1. Chapter 1

A few weeks had passed. They’d finished all the decorating work in the Hamptons and the four Monkees had just arrived back at the pad after their flight from New York, glad to be home. Pete’s gran had come with them and they’d had a chance to fly first class again, and Davy had got the phone number of one of the young blonde air stewardesses and a date already lined up. They dropped their bags in their rooms.

Peter’s gran was looking forward to seeing the twins again. She’d also came back to help plan the twins’ christening. It wasn’t going to be a very religious ceremony. Annie wanted something else and was looking into either a humanist or naming ceremony.

“They seem to have got much bigger and put on some weight,” Mrs Straus said as she held Dylan, while Annie was nursing Summer. “You look better yourself too—how are they sleeping?”

“Well, they’re sleeping a bit better through the night and Christine helps with the night feeds too. She works late shifts at the club so we kind of balancing things between us. It’s going well. They’ve missed the boys, though. They like Micky singing to them. They’re developing little character traits.”

Mike came in and helped himself to a cup of coffee that Annie had made earlier. He passed over a cup to Mrs. Straus. “It’s good to be back. The Hamptons were good, but there’s nothing like being in your own home. Have we missed much going off, Annie?” he asked.

“Nothing much really. It’s been quiet. Ronnie wants you to call her about arranging when you can start playing again at the club. The band that’s been playing haven’t gone down as well as you—regulars have been asking when you’ll be back.”

“I’ll give her a call in the morning. Should we cook something for dinner, or order in some pizzas?”

“Pizza!” shouted Micky as he slid down the spiral staircase. “Have a night off cooking.” He took Dylan from Mrs Straus, making a fuss of the boy and singing to him. “Nice to see these two again. You’ve put some weight on, little man. You’ll be as big as Davy soon.”

“Funny guy. It’s been so nice having a bedroom to myself while we’ve been away. And thanks for cleaning our room and bedding, Annie—Micky’s probably not even noticed,” Davy commented.

Annie gave Summer to her gran after she’d finished feeding her. “I can easily cook something or there’s plenty in the freezer. I’ve been busy baking and we’ve got plenty of food in. We even got you some beers, and chocolate cereal for Micky. You’ve all got fresh, clean bedding. I kept myself busy.”

“We appreciate everything. The pad sure looks good, thank you. We’ll order the pizzas. You deserve a break. Are you staying for dinner, Mrs. Straus, or will you be eating back at your hotel?” Mike asked her.

“I’m going to call a taxi and head to the hotel. I’ll order room service there—it’s been a long day and I’m tired, Michael, but thank you for the offer.” She took some money out of her wallet. “Here you are. Call it my treat. I need to thank you boys for the work you’ve done for me at the house.”

“It was no problem, ma’am. We had a good break as well. It wasn’t exactly hard work and it sure was a nice big house. I’d love to see your home in New York,” Mike said.

“Well, you boys are welcome to visit anytime you wish. There’s four bedrooms in the apartment, so plenty of room. If Micky and Davy don’t mind sharing, there’s one with twin beds. Just let me know when you would like to come and stay.” 

“That’s good of you, Gran. Maybe Michael and I could visit, have a break on our own… I’m sure Davy and Micky will be okay here,” Pete said to his gran. He came to stand by Mike who was about to call for the pizzas. He put an arm around Mike and pulled him close and kissed him on the lips, then mouthed “Love you” to him.

“Well, it looks like those two are still as loved up as ever.” Annie laughed, looking over at Micky and Davy. “Don’t you think it’s sweet? And I heard you two had some fun with our cousins Maria and Ginny. Those two are boy mad! Hope they didn’t mess you about.”

“No, we knew it would be just some fun over the break. They were nice guys. They showed us around the area and we had a good time with them,” Davy said. “A serious relationship is not what I want.”

“I do though. I want to find the right chick, get what those two have.” Micky gazed over at Pete and Mike and smiled. “I want to meet the right person and be part of a couple,” he stated.

“I’m sure the right girl is waiting somewhere for you, Micky. I hope you find her, but you’re still young, so enjoy things while you can. Look at me, eighteen with two babies,” Annie replied to him.

“Now that’s something you don’t need, Micky. Be very careful. You don’t want to be getting a chick pregnant—that’d tie you down for life…and, my god, a little Micky! That would be hard to imagine. Just make sure you use protection and be careful,” Mike said.

“Okay, Dad. I’m not that stupid, and there’s more to life than sex…I might want to get to know the chick better before we get too hot and heavy,” Micky said to Mike.

“You need to be friends as well. Peter and I had that before we got together. We knew each other well I know that we’ve had some ups and downs, but hopefully now everything should be better. We’re committed to each other. Just be patient, Micky.”

“Don’t worry, Mike. I’m not totally like Mr Jones here, with a few chicks on the go in a week. I might enlist the help of one of our female friends to help me find a nice chick…get Coco to help me too. Annie, can you help introduce me to anybody?”

“I mainly see young moms when I go out, Micky, and they’re mostly already married or with a guy, so I doubt I can really help. I’ve managed to get myself a good few friends in a mom and baby group nearby and Coco’s been brilliant helping me with the twins when Christine’s at work.”

“I’ve got some nice female friends in the groups I’m part of. You could come to some meetings with me, Micky? They’re all nice and friendly, and around our ages too,” Pete suggested to Micky.

“I’m not sure, Pete…I’m not really into protest groups, not quite my bag. I’m sorry, but they might be a bit too serious for me. I wouldn’t know what to talk to them about.”

“S’okay, Micky I understand. There’s always girls at our gigs—you night be lucky there. They don’t all go mad for Davy! It’ll happen. It took me long enough to get together with Mike, and things are good. I want you to be as happy as we are. I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you.”

“Thanks, Pete.” Micky gave him a big hug. “Hey, have you and Mike told Annie your news?”

Mike came over to Micky and Pete. “I haven’t, have you?” Pete shook his head to say no. “Well, Annie, I’ll tell you. Peter and I exchanged rings, like showing how we are committed to each other.”

“Ooh, that’s nice—a bit like getting engaged.” Annie gave Mike and Pete a huge hug each. “I’m so happy for you. Does Gran know about this, Peter? And are you gonna tell Mom and Dad?”

“Gran knows. I gave Mike Granddad’s ring, and she’s happy for us. We haven’t told anyone else yet. I might call Nick and tell him, but I’m not sure how Mom and Dad would take it,” Pete said.

“I haven’t told any of my family. I haven’t told my Mom about me and Pete yet—people from the south aren’t as accepting about anything that’s out of the ordinary. I promise I’ll tell my mom soon, Pete, but it’s just knowing how to tell her…she might take it well, I hope.”

“I understand. Look at my dad’s reaction, and I’m not sure how well Chris feels, but mom and Nick are fine, which I’m happy about.” Pete gave Mike a reassuring hug.

The pizzas arrived from Pop’s and the five of them sat at the kitchen table to eat. Davy got some beers and sodas out of the ice box, putting them on the table with some napkins. After, Mike decided to have a short rehearsal. It had been about a month since they’d played as a four piece, and they had a gig in a few nights. Afterward, Micky and Davy decided to watch a movie. Annie stayed up with them waiting for Christine to come home from work. The twins were fast asleep.

Mike and Pete decided to head off to bed after the long day they’d had, plus the time difference between both coasts, and neither had slept on the flight, unlike the others. They soon got undressed and climbed into their double bed, cuddling up close together.

“I know I’m not the type to say this, babe, but I sure am tired right now…do you mind if we just sleep tonight? You okay with that?” Mike asked Pete.

“Of course, Michael, as long as we’re together. I don’t mind. Anything you want.” He rested his head on Mike’s chest and settled down, running his fingers through Mike’s chest hair. “It’s like cuddling up to a teddy bear. Warm too.” Pete laughed and they both soon fell asleep.

Out in the living room, the others watched the late movie, Annie enjoying the twins being quiet. She went to bed when it ended, asking them to let Christine know she’d turned in for the night.

Next morning Annie and Christine were up early and getting ready to go out with the twins who had a check-up with the doctor. Dylan was in a grumpy mood and had been crying on and off for a few hours. Summer was calm and quiet. Mike came out of their bedroom, running his fingers through his hair and looked at Annie who was pacing up and down trying to settle Dylan down.

“Looks like someone got up in a bad mood this morning, didn’t they, little man?” He came over to Dylan and put out his arms to take the boy from Annie. “Here, let me see if I can help?”

“Thanks, Mike, here you are. Dylan, go to your uncle. Mike, there’s some coffee just brewed if you want a cup,” she said. Mike sat on the couch and bounced Dylan up and down on his knees. Dylan soon stopped crying and looked like he was smiling at Mike.

Annie brought his coffee over. “Wow, you’ve got a magic touch. Neither Christine nor I could settle him. Thanks so much, Mike. I’ll finish getting Summer ready. After the doctor’s, we’re off to check out some options. Maybe a humanist or naming ceremony…we’re not quite sure yet what to do.”

“Why don’t you talk to Pete? He might know some people who’ve done either of those for their children. A lot of his friends like more of an alternative lifestyle, and do things differently.”

“Thanks. I might do that. We’re coming back here after the doctor’s, as we’re meeting Coco. She’s going with us to help. You and Pete can come too, if you want,” Annie said. “Just be ready for when we get back from the clinic.” She now had Summer dressed and they were ready to leave. “See you later.”

Mike decided to have some toast when the girls had left. He made a tea for Pete and took it with the toast into their room. Pete was starting to awaken.

“Morning, Pete, brought you breakfast in bed. You gonna get up soon?” He sat by Pete as he propped himself up against the headboard, taking the cup from Mike.

“Anyone else up yet? I know Annie had an appointment this morning, and I bet the other two are still snoring away in bed. God knows what time they went to bed. I went for a drink just after midnight and they were still watching a movie—no wonder they always get up late.” Pete laughed.

“Yeah both of them are still upstairs. The girls have been gone about ten minutes. Dylan woke me up with his crying, but I managed to calm him down. Annie’s asked us if we’d like to go with her and look into some alternative christening options and places—you up for that?”

“Why not. Good to hear she doesn’t want the usual boring religious church service. That’s so old these days. I’m up for that. I know a few people who’ve had naming ceremonies that I can introduce her to. They can help her decide what to do. There are quite a few alternative options these days.”

“Maybe give them a call, see if they want to meet and chat to them later?”

“Yeah, I’ll do that. Don’t worry, they’re a pretty normal couple. They just don’t dig religion. I can see you wondering. I know you too well, Michael.” Pete laughed.

“What you two on about?” Micky came down the stairs and went into the kitchen to grab a bowl and some cereal.

“You better be on your best behaviour—Coco will be here soon, Micky. We’re talking about going and checking out an alternative style of christening for the twins, going to see a few people to discuss it. Coco’s going with us as well,” Pete said.

“Oh my god. She’s gonna be on about this new guy of hers. I couldn’t shut her up when I called her last week. He’s called David, and she calls him Davy—so weird! He has a job…works in a bank.”

“You jealous of her, Mick? Look at that face, Pete. Micky is jealous of his little sister’s love life.”

“I’m not. I bet that I’ll meet the right chick soon…any day now it could happen.”

There was a knock at the door and Micky ran over to answer it, finding Coco on the other side. “Hey, Micky!” Coco gave him a big hug. “How’s my big brother? You have a good break out east?”

“I’m fine, and we had a good time. But glad to be back home. It was odd, sharing a room after a month sleeping in a room on my own. I forgot all about Davy’s snoring—he sure makes some noise for such a little guy. He could wake the dead.” Micky laughed.

Coco and Micky came over to the others in the living room and sat down. “I think I’m a bit early. I guess the girls aren’t back yet. Micky, Mom wants you and the guys to come over for dinner tonight. I’m not sure what for, but she called me this morning, telling me to mention it.”

“Okay, no problem. You okay with that, Mike, Pete, going to Mom’s tonight?” They both nodded to Micky. “I might tag along with you guys, if you don’t mind. Coco and I will know some good locations suitable for the ceremony. Annie could even have it on the beach. That’d be groovy.”

“Well we’re going to look at some apartments and houses to rent. It’ll be good to have some guys with us as a bit of back-up. There’s a possible one just a few houses away. Not on the beach, but it’s got three bedrooms, so suitable for all of us.”

“I thought Annie was thinking of staying with you later in the fall when your roommate moved out?” Pete asked Coco.

“Yeah, but she’s moving out earlier and the apartment isn’t really suitable for the twins, so we’ve been talking about finding something else and as soon as possible. Didn’t she tell you, Pete?”

“No, she hasn’t said a word… I wonder why?”


	2. Chapter 2

The door to the pad opened and Annie and Christine walked in to see Pete staring at them.

“What’s the matter, Peter? You look a little shocked. Is everything okay? Hi, Coco, you’re early. I just need to change Dylan before we head out. He’s had an accident.” Annie laughed.

“You didn’t tell us you were thinking of moving out so soon, Annie? Coco mentioned you’re looking at some houses and apartments…don’t you like it here? We love having all of you here—you don’t need to leave.”

“We can’t stay here for much longer. It’s not fair on you guys. The twins will get bigger and they’ll need their own room. Coco’s gonna move in to help with childcare and things. We haven’t found anywhere yet. You can come and look at places with us. We don’t want to move too far from here.”

Mike took Pete’s hand. He could tell he was upset. Pete loved having his niece and nephew around, and they’d all got used to them.

“Pete, I can understand why they want their own place. There’s four of them in our small mud room. It can’t be good—they want somewhere their family can grow. You’ll be able to visit and see them regularly, and we’ll go help them look, okay?” Mike said to Pete, trying to relax him a little.

“It’s okay. I understand. It’s just a bit of a shock. I knew you’d move out eventually—I just didn’t expect it to be so soon. I’m sorry, Annie. You know what I’m like.”

“It’s fine, Peter. You’re worried about me, but I’ve got Christine and Coco, and we’ll all be okay. Having the twins young has made me grow up quicker than I thought I would. I’m a parent now, so you understand I have to put my children first above anything.”

“You probably act older than I do. I know I sulk like a child at times.” He looked over at Mike and smiled. “He knows me too well by now, don’t you, Michael?”

“Hey, this means Davy and I might not have to share much longer—I doubt you two want separate rooms.” Micky laughed, looking at Mike and Pete. “Or maybe somewhere me and Davy can use when we bring a chick back for the night.”

“We’ve not moved out yet, Micky. We’ve got to find a new place first before you can think of doing anything with our room,” Annie said. “So are all six of us going?”

“Yeah, it looks like it. We won’t let anyone mess you around when you’re looking at houses or apartments—having some guys with you should help. We know how bad landlords can be, so we’ll ask questions too,” Mike said to Annie and the other girls.

“Well, Dylan’s ready now, all changed, clean and smelling better. I just need to pack a bag with some diapers, cream, and bottles of formula. It’s a lot of organising to take these two out for the day.” 

“There’s enough room in the Monkeemobile for all of us. I’ll put the double stroller in the trunk—you want me to put the babies’ bag in there too?” Mike asked picking up the stroller. “Pete, you get the bag, and we’ll get the car ready for you. Coming with us, Coco?” he asked.

“Yeah, I might as well. It’s easier if we all go together. We need to decide what we want to ask about the places, and also about what kind of ceremony you want for the twins, Annie,” Coco said.

“Do you think three bedrooms is enough? One for us, you, and a nursery? We’ll have plenty of help with decorating, won’t we, guys? We need a good kitchen, living room, and a good bathroom with at least a tub. We need a bath to relax and it’ll be handy for the twins. Any other ideas?”

They all got into the car, Annie and Christine in the very back with the twins, Coco and Micky in the middle seats. Annie had given Mike a list of the addresses they were going to look at, and after, they were going to see Pete’s friends about the twins’ ceremony. It was going to be a long day. Davy got up just before they left. He had a date planned, so he stayed at home. They decided to check out the apartments first, leaving the houses for later.

Mike pulled up outside the first place. It wasn’t in too bad an area. There were quite a few teenagers around on their bikes, and there was a park around the corner, ideal for taking the twins for a walk and it wasn’t too far for Coco to drive to college, and Christine to work. 

“It doesn’t look too bad—ground floor too.” A man was waiting just outside with the key to show them around. He gave the six of them a strange look as he unlocked the door and let them go in on their own to look around. It was quite small inside. None of the girls looked too happy. The bedrooms were small, and it had a bathroom with just a shower, so they decided this was a no. The girls thought the landlord looked a bit creepy, and the guys didn’t like the way he was looking at them.

“I think that’s a definite no. I wouldn’t want any of you anywhere near that guy,” Micky said.

Mike drove them to another apartment about five minutes away. The location didn’t look as good—another ground floor apartment. This time a middle-aged woman showed them around. It was a little bigger than the last place. This one could be put on the short list for now. At least the landlady was pleasant too. They had one more nearby apartment to look at next, and after that it was the two houses.

“Now she was quite nice. She seemed to like the twins, and the apartment is a lot better as well,” Mike said to the others as they got back in the car.

The next apartment was near a diner that they’d been to before, which was handy. It looked okay from outside, and was another on the ground floor. They’d chosen them as they were easier with strollers or carriages for taking the twins out. The inside was good-sized but it needed a lot of decorating and seemed really cold. There was just something lacking, so they decided that this was off the list.

“It doesn’t feel good here. It has a bad vibe,” Pete said.

Next it was onto the first of the two houses, about a ten-minute drive from the pad. It looked okay from outside. It had a small garden around the back, and inside it had a separate kitchen, and all the rooms were good-sized. It had three upstairs bedrooms, two decent closets and a good bathroom. This was a possibility, but there was still one place left to see, which hopefully might be better.

As they drove up to the final house, they were impressed that it even had a reasonable-sized garage and a driveway big enough for two cars. There was a young woman waiting outside to show them around. Mike noticed Micky staring straight at her as they walked up the drive to the door. This was less than a five-minute walk from the pad, so handy for visiting.

“Hello, I’m Cathy. My dad was gonna show you around, but something came up so he asked me instead. I hear it’s the three of you considering renting the house.” She looked at the girls. “Please follow me inside, and any questions, please feel free to ask. It has two bedrooms upstairs and a bathroom, and also a bedroom and bathroom downstairs, and a big kitchen, dining, living room.”

Micky nudged Mike. “She’s cute…you think she’d be interested if I ask her on a date? She’s just my type, quite tall and blonde. I think I might ask her later.”

“Oh my god, Micky, love at first sight, is it? I suppose there’s no harm in you asking her out. The worse thing she can say is no, but be prepared for that just in case. It’s a good thing Davy isn’t here—you’d both be fighting over her.”

The girls followed Cathy around the house. “The house is fully furnished. It was my gran’s, but she’s moved into a retirement home so doesn’t need any of this. There’s a washer and dryer in the garage and in the kitchen there’s a fridge, freezer, stove and dishwasher. One of the upstairs rooms would make a good nursery for the babies, I would think. We live next door, so easy to find if there’s any issues.”

She left them to check out the rooms themselves and went to wait by the front door—and was followed by Micky. “Hey, I’m Micky. Nice to meet you. I’m Coco’s brother. You say you live next door? We guys live on North Beechwood, about five minutes from here, on the beach, too.”

“I bet that’s good, living so near to the ocean too. Have I seen you about? Around the clubs on the Strip? I’m sure I recognise you. I’ve played beach volleyball in a local team too, so could be that.”

“Possibly the clubs. We normally play lately at the Dive. I’m in a band called the Monkees. That’s with two e’s and no y, and I’m Micky with no e. Mike and Pete over there are in the group too. You ought to come and see us play tomorrow night. I’ll buy you a drink, maybe something to eat afterwards?”

“I’d like that. Thank you, I’ll come and see you then. Some of my friends have told me your band’s really good and they’ve said good things about you. I’ll look forward to it. I’d better get back to the others in case they have any questions.” She smiled at Micky as she walked away to the girls.

Micky went over to Mike and Pete and nudged Mike. “I asked her and she said yes—she’ll be at our gig tomorrow night…might even take her for something to eat afterwards as well.”

“Good for you. She seems all right…just don’t rush things. Take your time to get to know her first, before you rush into things. Become her friend first, Mick,” Mike said.

Annie came and stood by the guys. She looked happy. Christine and Coco were still looking around.

“What do you think? We think this is the best of all the places we’ve looked at. Better location. Coco says she’ll take the downstairs room, so Christine, the twins and I get upstairs to ourselves. The rent’s not too bad either and Gran’s already said she’ll cover the first six months, and we won’t need to buy or do much work to it, just bring a few things, like the twins’ cribs.” 

“I’m sure we can sort out moving your things. My stepdad has a van, and he’ll probably move anything Coco needs,” Micky said. “I’ll mention it at dinner tonight.”

Cathy went outside as Coco and Christine joined the others. “I think this is the one we should go for, even though it’s too near my annoying brother. It’s the best of everything we’ve looked at today.”

Annie and Christine nodded and agreed with her. “I say yes as well,” Christine said.

“Yeah, let’s tell Cathy we’ll take it. We can sort out moving in as soon as we can, and you’ll be able to move in whenever you’re ready, Coco. Doesn’t your roommate move out soon? Micky says your stepdad will help us with his van, and I’m sure the guys will help too,” Annie said to them.

“Yeah, she’s leaving in about ten days and she’s already started packing her belongings up in boxes. I’m sure she won’t mind if I move out before. I don’t think she’ll be bothered—we’re not really that close friends. I need to think about what I need before anything else.”

They went to talk to Cathy, saying that they wanted to rent the house, and wanted to move in over the next few days. They agreed the rent costs and all of them were happy. Cathy said she’d let her dad know and he’d call and sort everything out. She gave them two keys so they could start moving their things in.

Micky was looking over at Cathy when Coco came and stood beside him. “I don’t think she’s really your type, Micky. She’s from a rich family—you’ll be punching above your weight there, brother.”

“You can’t judge someone from how they look. Pete and Annie are from a family with money and don’t look down on us—they’re normal, like we are. She works for her Dad’s business so she could just be in a work mode. I bet she’s different at the gig tomorrow. Why don’t you come and see?”

“I might just do that, Mick. Haven’t seen you play in a while,” she said to him.

Christine and Annie were still talking to Cathy, Micky waiting patiently to see if he’d get chance to get her on her own again. “I’ll be able to help you with anything. I’ve just left college but started working for my dad’s property business until something better comes along. I don’t want to be stuck at home in a boring job for much longer, if you know what I mean—got my eyes on bigger things.”

“Well, we’re happy here for now. I’m gonna apply to community college and eventually go to law school. I want a career helping people, women mainly. Christine’s working at a club for now. We’re both from the east, Connecticut and New York,” Annie said.

“I’d love to live east. I bet there’s so much more exciting things to do. I did want to be an actress, theater work though, and New York’s the best place for that. Are you both at the band’s gig tomorrow? One of the guys has asked me to go—the curly-haired one. Can’t remember his name, but he looks like the type that I can have some fun with for now. Oh, not a long-time thing, you know. As I said, much more available out there.”

Micky went straight over when the girls came back to join the others. He had a huge grin on his face, but Cathy didn’t look as happy as he did.

They all watched them interacting together. “I don’t think she’s really his type,” Coco said first.

“Me neither. I think she only wants a bit of fun with him for now. She wants bigger things—she even said so. She said the same about her job. She’s the kind of girl Dad would want for you, Pete! He’d like her.” Annie laughed,

“She looks okay. She might be good for him—he wants to have a more serious girlfriend.”

“Pete, I think the girls could be right—you always try and see the best in people. Not everyone’s as honest and trusting as you are, babe,” Mike said to him. “I bet her father wouldn’t want her dating a musician. He might see her ending up with a rich guy, like he probably is.”

Micky came over to the others, looking really happy. “I think I’ve found the right girl for me! I reckon this time things will go my way and work out for me…I’m in love, guys!”


	3. Chapter 3

They drove away from the house, needing to call at the pad first. Summer had filled her diaper and Annie didn’t think Mike would want her changing her in the car, and she smelt like she needed a change of clothes as well. The smell wasn’t too pleasant, but the others didn’t show if it bothered them. Summer was looking like she didn’t mind either, with the smile she had on her face. She just didn’t have the cheeky dimples that Dylan had like some members of their family.

They decided to also get some late lunch while they were home, rather than going to a diner. Annie made some sandwiches while Mike and Pete fed the twins their bottles.

“At least now you smell a bit better now, little Miss Summer. You sure could clear a room with what comes out of the other end, but it looks like you’re smiling at me and gurgling too.” Mike laughed as he held Summer, pulling faces at her.

Pete looked over at Mike and laughed too. “You big softy, Michael, you get more like me every day, Dylan here’s normally the one with the smelliest diapers—he’s messy like his uncle Micky.”

“Hey, Pete, I’m not that messy. I’m tidying my side of the room more because Davy complains so much. You were much more easygoing as a roommate, Mike. How did you manage to share with Davy for so long, Pete, and put up with that snoring?”

“I had earplugs, and I kinda got used to it. I always tidy my things away, so really didn’t give him too much to complain about…probably quieter than you, too.” Pete laughed.

“Earplugs! That’s what I need to get. Say, what did you guys think of Cathy? Do you think we’ll make a cute couple? I’m hoping this is the start of a long, serious relationship for me…she seems more grown up than the chicks I normally go for—a chick who has a good job as well,” Micky stated.

“Do you know much about her, Micky? You did only meet her this morning! You never can tell. Just don’t rush into things. You need to get to know her first. She looks older than you,” Annie said.

“Do you want me to come to the gig tomorrow? I’ll talk to her and check her out, find out as much as I can…don’t want you making a fool of yourself over a girl again.”

“No thanks, Coco, the less said about that the better. The others don’t need to hear about my past mistakes. Please forget about it. I’m sure you’ll be too busy moving into the new house.”

“You worried I might tell her some embarrassing stories? There’s plenty of things I haven’t told these guys yet, if you know what I mean, Micky.” Coco laughed at him.

“Annie, do you want me to call my friends, see if they want to come here to talk to you about their naming ceremony? The twins are starting to fall asleep and we could put them in the crib for a while. My friends don’t live too far away—they’ll probably enjoy some time by the beach,” Peter asked her.

“Yeah, Peter, that might be better. Pass me Dylan and I’ll put him in our room. I’ll be back for Summer in a minute, Mike. Just rock her a little—that helps her sleep.” 

Pete called his friends to ask them over, and they arrived about thirty minutes later with their six-month-old little girl.

“Annie, this is Robin and Laurie. They go to one of the peace groups I’m part of. This is their daughter, Edie. They had a naming ceremony for her about three months ago,” Pete said.

“Hello, Annie,” Laurie said. “Ask me anything you like. We chose a humanist naming event as we aren’t religious. We involved our friends and you choose guide parents, not godparents. We welcomed Edie into the world with our family and circle of friends. It’s not really legal but means just as much to us.”

“Well I’ve chosen the people who would be guide parents. They’re mainly people who I’ve got to know and accepted me since I moved to California. You might know already Mike, Micky and Davy, and there’s also Coco, Micky’s sister, and Vicky and Ronnie, two friends of ours.”

“You can involve a celebrant, who’ll visit you and get to know the family They can make the ceremony more personal to you. They’ll discuss readings, poems, and what promises you want to make to your children, and any music you want to use,” Robin said.

Laurie spoke again. “It’s about making a commitment, showing what hopes and dreams you want for your child’s future. You can do a symbolic act like a tree planting, family hand or foot printings or lighting candles. The guide parents make promises to the child too. It’s all informal and can last as long or as short as you want, with a party for the family afterwards too.”

“Theirs was really good, in Laurie’s parents’ garden. About an hour’s ceremony, and Edie was so well behaved. It’s a perfect alternative to a christening,” Pete said to Annie.

“We spoke about why we choose her name and also her guide parents and what role we’d hope they would play in her life, her future. Edie wore a gown made by a friend. Nothing traditional. I can give you the name of the celebrant we used if you’d like. He was really good and friendly.”

“That would be good…but will he be okay that Christine and I are a couple? Not everyone is so accepting.”

“No, of course he won’t mind, Annie. He’s done humanist blessings for same-sex couples before. It’s one of the reasons we chose him—we met him at our friends’ blessing. He’s quite young. He’s a musician too,” Robin said. “Your band could play at the party. How about having it on the beach?”

“That’s a good idea. They were born here in this house on the beach, and they love baths and water. What do you think, Christine?” Annie asked her.

“Yeah, why not? There’s plenty of room for family and friends—it doesn’t have to be a sit-down event—light some fires late at night at the party afterward. Micky could take the photos for you.”

“I’d do that for you…can I invite Cathy too? Would you mind if I asked her?” Micky asked.

“I guess not, Micky. Robin, Laurie, thanks so much for coming around. I really want to go with this kind of ceremony—it sounds perfect for the twins. They’re only just over two months now, and I’ll try to arrange it for as soon as possible. It might be more friends invited rather than family, though.”

“Well, any help or further information you need, just contact us. Pete has our phone number. I think I’ve got the celebrant’s number at home. I’ll call you up with it. We have to go now—we’re meeting some friends downtown. It was nice meeting everyone,” Laurie said.

“Bye, Pete, we’ll see you soon, no doubt, at the next group meeting. Bring any of your friends along if they’d like to help us,” Robin mentioned to Pete as they left.

“I’m glad they were able to help you make up your mind. It was a good day. Their parents were good about it. Gran could ask Mom to come. I doubt Dad would bother, but that’s his loss,” Pete said.

Christine went to get ready for work. She was going in a few hours early as someone had booked the club’s back room for a twenty-first birthday party, and she volunteered, for the extra pay.

“What time’s your mom expecting us for dinner, Micky?” Mike asked.

“Well it’s just half past four…I guess we could set off soon. She won’t mind if we get there early. She loves having you around and having a houseful of people. I’ll go and get changed.”

“Okay, Mick, we’ll all go and get ready. I know your mom doesn’t like us too casual at dinner.”

“I’ll help you get the twins changed if you want, Annie?” Coco asked.

“Thanks. At least they’ve had a few hours’ sleep. I hope they’re quiet at your mom’s. It’s not nice when they’re screaming and crying while we’re out. I hope your mom doesn’t mind.”

“No, the more the merrier for her. She’ll love fussing over the two of them. It’ll stop her questioning me and Micky as much—she’ll have something else to talk about.” Coco laughed looking at Micky.

They all went to get changed, the guys coming out in shirts and more formal trousers, looking quite smart. Annie and Coco were already in summer dresses, and they’d dressed the twins in some new outfits that Annie’s and Pete’s gran had brought from New York.

They set off on the thirty-minute drive to the Dolenz family home. Mrs. Dolenz was a really good cook and regularly invited the boys for dinner, so she was always happy to see them.

“Welcome! Boys, Annie, Coco and Micky, come on in and sit yourselves down. Coco, you can come and help me get drinks for everyone. Everybody like homemade lemonade? And it’s a pot roast for dinner. I’ve made cheese, onion and potato cakes for you Pete.”

“Oh, thank you, Mrs. Dolenz. Lemonade sounds good, and you didn’t have to make anything specially for me though. I would have been happy with just potatoes and vegetables,” Pete said to her.

“No trouble at all, Pete. I’ve even made extra for you to take home. And, Micky, I’ve made chocolate sponge and custard for desert—yours and Coco’s favorite.”

“Oh, brilliant, Mom! How is everyone? You all doing well?” Mickey asked his mom.

“Everyone’s good, and it’s good to have all my children in one house. And, Annie, aren’t Summer and Dylan looking well? They get bigger each time I see them—are they sleeping any better?”

“Well, Mrs. Dolenz, they’re getting more of a routine now, and I have plenty of help and support with them. Christine and the guys are brilliant with them—they love Micky singing them to sleep.”

“He used to sing to all his little sisters when he was young. They loved it too, and he’s still like a big child at heart, don’t you think? He’s never really grown up, have you, Micky?”

“Mom, that’s not fair. I’m getting more responsible, you know. Annie trusts me with the twins on my own and she’s chosen me to be Dylan’s godparent, sorry guide parent, with Davy and Coco,” he said.

“That’s nice for you and Coco. Aren’t you moving in with the girls when they find somewhere bigger to live, Coco?” her mom asked her.

“Yes, Mom. We’ve been looking at places this morning and found a three-bedroomed house not too far from the guys’ pad. We’re gonna move in as soon as possible. Do you know if we could borrow the family van, so we can move some furniture into the new place, please?” Coco asked.

“Of course you can use the van, but I’ll drive it, and help you load up and unload your things,” Robert, Micky’s and Coco’s stepdad said to them. “Least I can do for you.”

“Dinner’s going to be in about ten minutes. If you all want to head into the dining room soon, the table’s already set for everyone, so help yourself to water,” Mrs. Dolenz shouted from the kitchen.

The others sat while Coco and Annie put the twins in a bedroom, surrounding them in pillows to stop them moving too much. Luckily, they were both asleep. They then went to help Mrs. Dolenz bring the food to the table.

They were all soon sitting and eating. As always, there was plenty of leftovers that would be packed up for the boys to take home. Mike was sure she always cooked too much for this reason. The chocolate sponge and custard went down well, Micky having three helpings. Afterward, Micky and Davy did the washing, wiping and shelving of the plates, dishes and silverware.

The twins had been brought back into the room and Mrs. Dolenz was holding and fussing over Dylan, feeding him a bottle while Annie fed Summer. “He likes his food just as much as Micky does.” Mrs. Dolenz laughed. “Just wait until they’re on baby food—see if he has a sweet tooth, like Uncle Micky. He was such a cute baby, Chubby too.”

“Mom, just don’t get out the baby photos! Please don’t embarrass me, and don’t you get them, either, Coco,” he said as she stood up to go to the bathroom. She laughed and shook her head.

“How was your break over the past month, boys? I heard you were decorating and also got involved with a runaway young girl,” Mrs. Dolenz asked.

“Well, Mike and Pete did most of the work. Micky and I had a lot of fun with Pete’s female cousins, two teenage blonde girls, and yeah, Micky found a runaway sleeping in basement. We helped her get back together with her mom…we think she had a little crush on Micky,” Davy said.

“Yeah, those two took off to the local sports club and left me and Pete to do most of the work.”

“Hey, Mom, Mike and Pete exchanged rings—kinda liked got engaged or committed to each other. They kind of had a big fall-out but are sorted and very happy now, don’t you think?”

“Ooh, let me have a look, boys. That’s such a nice thing you both did. It’s good to see you’re both happy together. Micky needs to find himself a decent girl. Look at Coco with her new guy, David. He’s very respectable and works in a bank. He even brought me some flowers when he came for dinner.”

“Mom, I’ve bought you flowers before, and I met a really nice girl today. She seems totally different to anyone I’ve met before. She has a good job working for her dad’s property company. I think you’d like her. She’s coming to our gig tomorrow night, then we’re going out afterwards. If all goes well, I’ll probably bring Cathy to a family dinner so you can meet her.”

“Micky, you only just met the girl this morning! It could go either way. You seem a little too obsessed with her already—remember what we all told you about rushing into things?” Coco said. “Please don’t do what you’ve done before with girls in the past.”

“This is different. I really think Cathy’s the one for me. It’s the real thing. I’ll show you.”

“Micky, remember before when you said you met the ideal girl—Mimi, wasn’t it? And she was all me-me too… It wasn’t that long before you met the guys. You were in that other band, the one you sang with—remember the girl you met at your first gig.”

“Mom, please, no—don’t tell them,” Micky pleaded.

“You got hooked pretty quick. She knew that too, and messed you about, but you were too blind and in love with her to see that. She had you just where she wanted you, I’m just glad things eventually came to light before you proposed to her. I knew you’d bought a ring. My friend at the local jewelery store told me what you spent on it. I persuaded her to let you return it, and get your money back.”

“Mom, that was ages ago! I was a stupid young kid. I’m much older and wiser now. I’ve learnt from that mistake—this is the real thing this time,” Micky stated to her.

“Yeah, older, but wiser? I’m not so sure about that,” Coco deadpanned.


	4. Chapter 4

Micky couldn’t wait to get away from his mom’s house, trying to encourage the others to leave. Coco and his mom had been embarrassing him about a past relationship with an ex of his from about two and a half years ago. The girl, Mimi, had broken his heart. He’d nearly asked her to marry him, but she’d dumped him for a singer, a well-built tan, blond guy, nothing like him.

It had taken him a while to get over her. His mom had brought her up in a conversation in front of the other guys and Annie, but it was something he didn’t want them to know about. He hoped they wouldn’t laugh about it like Coco was. Luckily, they didn’t seem to react the same way.

“Mike, don’t you think we should go? Didn’t you want us to rehearse? And won’t it be time to put the twins to bed, Annie?” he asked them both, trying to think of excuses to leave quickly.

“Yeah,” Annie agreed. “Might be best to get them off to bed. I try and keep them to a kind of routine, Hopefully, they’ll get used to it. We can drop Coco off first so she can make a start on packing.”

“Well, bye, then, boys. You girls know where I am if you need anything. I can even come and watch the twins for the evening if you ever want a night off,” Mrs. Dolenz said as they left.

The guys were quiet on the drive back to the pad, Micky more so. He only said bye to Coco when they arrived at her apartment. Back at the pad, Micky sat on the couch and put the television on. Davy sat in an armchair next to him.

“Don’t worry about what your mom said, Mick. It doesn’t bother us. You were a lot younger then. Things happen. It wasn’t your fault—you had a lucky escape, it looks like to me, pal,” Davy said.

“Thanks, Davy. Sorry, guys. Can we just forget about what my mom said? I just wanna think about the future, and my date with Cathy tomorrow.”

Annie and Pete came out of her bedroom after putting the twins in their crib. “I hope everything goes well for you, Micky. I bet we’ve all made mistakes and had some bad experiences with ex-partners. I know I have,” Annie said.

“My past experiences—if you can call them that—were all total disasters,” Pete said. “I ended up getting slapped and that was about it. Two times trying to kiss guys and once asking a girl if I could kiss her. And they were in high school and college. I think that’s why I gave up until I fell for Michael.” He smiled at Mike, taking his hand.

Mike smiled back at him. “Well, I hope that I was worth waiting for?” He didn’t really need to ask Pete—he could tell from the look in his eyes, the way he was gazing back at him, still grinning.

“Hey, Mick, I had my share of bad dates with chicks too, but finding the right person…well, it’ll happen to you. And maybe when you least expect it. It’ll be worth it as well,” Mike said.

“Well, I’ve had the odd bad date, but you know sometimes chicks can get a bit too attached. I’m only young and I want to have fun while I can, no tying myself down to just one girl.” Davy laughed. “You should really do the same, Mick, wait a few years before you get serious over someone.”

“I want what Mike and Pete have, Davy. They don’t even need to talk to each other to know exactly what the other wants. I want someone to look at me the way they look at each other,” Micky said.

“Micky, stop trying to get old and soppy like those two. I’ll help you find a chick, okay?”

“You don’t need to help. I’ve already found Cathy, thanks. I know she’s the one for me.”

“Mick, Pete and I were friends before we got together. I knew him well already. I knew all his faults, all his habits, and he knows mine. We might have the odd spat, but we always make up, and that’s one of the fun parts. And before you say anything, it’s not all about sex.”

“I’m gonna call Gran and tell her about the house and the naming ceremony, and see how she is. She’ll probably come and see us in the morning,” Annie said to the others.

“Ooh, let’s get some snacks. The movie’s about to start.” Micky jumped up and ran over to the kitchen. He grabbed some sodas, chips and brownies his mom had made, and put them on the coffee table before he settled back down in a chair. “Turn the TV up, Davy.”

Mike and Pete settled down together on the couch, Mike getting a soda and a brownie for each of them. He cuddled up to Pete, putting an arm around Pete’s waist and pulling him closer. Mike started breaking up a brownie and shared it with Pete, hand feeding him.

Annie finished talking to her gran and headed off to her bedroom. She thought she’d heard one of the babies wake and went to check. “Night, guys. I’ll tell you what Gran said in the morning, Pete.”

They all said goodnight to her, but Davy and Micky were too engrossed in the movie. Mike and Pete weren’t too bothered. “You want to head off to bed, Pete? We can have an early night.” He leaned down and gave Pete a brief kiss and a sneaky wink.

“Mmmm…maybe. This film isn’t really my bag. Are you tired, babe?” Pete smiled at Mike.

“Not really, but I’m sure we can find something to do,” Mike whispered into Pete’s ear, causing Pete to give him the dimpled smile Mike loved to see. He pulled Pete up. “You coming, babe? See you two in the morning, guys.” He took Pete’s hand and led him to their room.

“Looks like we’ll be needing to turn the TV up, Davy, to drown out the noise those two are gonna be making,” Micky said while giving Mike a knowing look. “Try and keep things quiet, guys.” He laughed.

“Very funny, Mick. I can’t help it that I make Pete scream out loud in pleasure. I know how to treat my partner and give him a good time. You’ll learn as you get older.” Mike laughed at Micky.

Pete stared from one to the other, his face flushed beet-red. “Michael…please can we keep things private? There’s things they don’t really need to know about,” Pete appealed to him.

“Sorry, babe. Love you. Do you forgive me?” He gave Pete a pleading look.

“I’m not so sure about that…I’ll have to think about it.” Pete had a serious look on his face. Mike took one of his hands to bring it up to his mouth and kissed it. “Only joking! Got you going there! Of course I forgive you, but you’d better make it up to me.” He laughed.

“Peter, good job that I love you, trying to wind me up like that. Promise I’ll make it up to you, babe.”

Inside their room a few minutes later, they leaned against the door, kissing, and talking about things had got them both worked up. Mike pulled Pete’s shirt out of his pants and briefly stopped the kiss to pull the shirt over his head. He then resumed the kiss, deeper and stronger this time, cupping one hand on Pete’s cheek, the other going straight to Pete’s zip to start removing his pants.

He put Pete’s hand on his crotch to let him see how hard and ready he was for him, knowing from already checking that Pete was feeling the same. He looked Pete straight in his eyes. “You do trust me, Pete, don’t you?” he asked him.

“Of course, always. Why are you asking? You should know by now I do, Michael. What are you up to?”

“Don’t look so worried. I won’t hurt you. It’s a surprise… I think you’ll enjoy it,” Mike said with a curious look on his face that Pete couldn’t seem to read, but he followed him over to their bed.

“Please close your eyes, babe.” Pete did as he was asked, and Mike tenderly kissed each eyelid then covered his eyes with a blindfold. “If you’re uncomfortable with anything I do, just say so and I’ll stop, okay?” Pete just nodded to Mike. Mike gently pushed him back onto the bed and finished removing his pants. “Ooh, Pete, you’re perfect, and just as I want you. Please, one more moment…”

Mike was back in about a minute. He tied Pete’s wrists to the headboard with cord, then kissed him on the lips. He sat beside Pete and stripped, and gazed at Pete.

“You ready for me, Pete?” he asked, but the only sound he heard was a whimper. “You sure look it to me, and you look mighty fine,” he whispered in Pete’s ear. “You want me to gag you? Because things might get a little rough and I know how vocal you can get. We don’t want those two complaining.”

Mike could see how much Pete was already aroused. He took a finger and traced down from the bridge of Pete’s nose, moving it slowly over his lips, parting the bottom one. Pete eagerly took Mike’s finger in his mouth and sucked and caressed the digit, getting Mike worked up, and Pete knew it.

“Stop that, babe, before you get me going. This is all about you,” Mike whispered to him.

He resumed the movement of his finger until he got to Pete’s chest, pinching his nipples and replacing his fingers with his mouth to give one a small bite, which soon created another whimper from Pete. When he got to Pete’s belly button, Pete felt something wet being poured into it, and Mike’s tongue licking and lapping up the liquid. This made Pete’s cock nearly hit Mike in the face. Mike briefly licked the tip of his glistening dick, swallowing the pre-cum he knew he had caused.

“You taste so good, babe.” He moved his finger up the vein of Pete’s rock-hard dick, causing Pete to nearly scream in agony. He added a few more fingers and started a small stroking motion, and with his other hand taking hold of something he’d hidden under the mattress. Pete heard a buzzing noise then suddenly felt something vibrating against his cock.

“Oh…my god!” Pete screamed out loud.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door. “I know you two might be having a lot of fun in there, but don’t get too carried away, and please keep the noise down. We’re trying to listen to the movie,” they heard Micky shout at them.

“Sorry, babe, but I guess I need to do this, before we disturb them anymore.” He bent down and kissed Pete once more and then used a bandana as a gag, silencing Pete.

Mike then returned to what he’d been doing before they’d been interrupted. Pete’s back arched as Mike put the vibrator at the side of his cock, adding pressure as he moved it up and down. He could tell Pete was getting close, so he suddenly stopped. He moved Pete’s legs over his shoulders and lubed up his fingers and Pete’s entrance. First he gently eased two fingers in Pete’s hole, pushing them slowly in and out.

“You digging this, Pete? I think I know the answer already, darling,” Mike purred. He was enjoying causing Pete’s pleasure.

Pete was nodding his head whilst trying to impale himself on Mike’s fingers. Mike added another digit and stretched him inside a little.

He put the buzzing vibrator against Pete’s cock once more for a few moments until he knew Pete was desperate for release, he removed it. He then used his fingers again moving them in and out of Pete starting at a slow pace, curling his fingertips so they hit Petes prostate with each movement getting faster.

Pete’s face and chest were flushed pink and he was sweating. He was enjoying every moment of the sweet torture. This had got him rock-hard and need of relief himself. “One moment, babe. I need to be inside you now. Oh my god, you’re gorgeous.”

He soon eased his cock into Pete’s entrance and started moving slowly, soon having to quicken his pace to short, fast thrusts. He was desperate too, but wanted to please his partner more. He knew Pete needed to come and couldn’t not allow that for his partner. He again put his hand and the vibrator on the underside of Pete’s shaft, keeping his movement in time with his own movement.. It didn’t take long for Pete’s release, spurting out gushes of cum all over Mike’s hand.

“Oh my god, Pete, you’re so tight. I won’t be much longer. I love you. Never loved anyone as much as you,” he said, as he was sure he saw bright lights and stars, and sensed a roar in his ears, the feeling so intense as he came inside Pete, harder and stronger than he thought was possible.

He collapsed on top of Pete, not even pulling out of him—he didn’t want to be parted from him, wanted them joined together that way that felt so perfect.

“One minute and I’ll see to you, Pete. I just want to stay in you a little while. You were made for me, babe. I’m so glad you waited so give yourself physically and emotionally to me only.”

He gradually pulled out and lay beside a panting Peter, moving up to lie face to face with him. He blew Pete’s wet bangs from his forehead and gently untied his wrists, removing the gag and blindfold.

He gazed lovingly into Pete’s darkened brown eyes, knowing everything was perfect between them. He’d enjoyed every second as much as Mike had. He smiled at Mike, showing him his dimple. Pete’s body seemed to be coming back down to earth and relaxing. He leaned into Mike, pulling him close for a much-needed kiss.

“That was…well, mind-blowing…there are no words. Michael, you know exactly what I want and need. It’s like you can read my mind. Thank you so much for everything. I’m yours forever—don’t forget that. There’ll never be anyone else for me.” He took Mike’s hand and kissed the ring on his finger. 


	5. Chapter 5

Micky woke up the next morning, a little confused at first, wondering where he was. He was lying on the couch, covered by a blanket. He must have fallen asleep in the early hours after the late movie. Davy had gone to bed before the end of their second movie—he’d struggled to stay awake, but Micky had been determined to watch it right until the end, although he couldn’t remember if he’d actually lasted long enough.

He looked up to see Annie passing him a cup of coffee. She was holding one of the twins and the other was lying on an armchair, trying to move.

“Here you go. Thought you might need a hot drink. Did you manage to sleep okay there?” she asked. “Would you mind holding Dylan while I feed Summer? She’s a bit of a wriggler this morning.”

Micky sat up and put his arms out to take Dylan from Annie. “Hello, little man. Come to your uncle Micky. I’m your favorite, aren’t I? You gonna be good for me, no messing your diaper?”

“He should be okay. I’ve only just changed him. Now this one, I’m gonna change after I’ve fed her. She’s hungry this morning and a little restless…not as calm as her brother, are you, Summer?”

“I’ve got an idea to run by you, Annie. I mentioned it to Davy in between the movies last night. What do you think of us organizing a surprise party for Mike and Pete, kinda like an engagement party? You think they’d like it? Pete’s pretty easygoing about things.”

“Yeah, Peter would probably be okay, but I don’t really know about Mike. I mean it’d be like going public with their relationship, and that’s a big thing, Micky, and he is a pretty private guy. I don’t know if he’s told his mom and family about them yet.”

“Pete’ll talk him round. If he sees Pete’s happy with a party, I reckon it’ll be okay. I think Pete has a knack of getting what he wants from Mike. Mike was certainly making him happy last night, the way he was shouting out loud. I had to ask them to quiet it down.” He laughed.

“That’s something I don’t really need to know about. Would you want to hear about what Coco gets up to in her bedroom?” Annie laughed and asked him.

“No…no way. Sorry. I understand now. Too much information,” he answered.

“If you need any cash to help with any arrangements, have a word with Gran. If it’s for something for Peter, she’ll give you some. He’s always been her favorite, being her first grandchild.”

“Not a word to anyone, though, promise?” He mimed zipping his mouth closed, causing her to laugh. “You two as well, no giving the game away.” He laughed to the twins.

Mike came out of his room, and Micky suddenly went silent. “Everything okay, Micky?” Mike asked as he went over to the kitchen to get a cup of coffee. “Morning, Annie. You know what’s up with him?”

“No idea. He’s been in an odd mood since he woke up a while ago on the couch. Looks like he fell asleep there—the TV was still on when I got up.” Annie looked over at Micky.

“Nothing’s wrong, Mike. Everything’s totally fine. We got our gig tonight, and I got my date with Cathy, which I’m looking forward to. I reckon I’ve got enough money to maybe take her to Pop’s.”

“Well, I hope it goes well for you. You sure she’ll be happy with a pizza?”

“Everyone loves pizza! I’ll even walk her home afterward. I want this to last…like I say, I’ve got a real good feeling about me and Cathy. This time things are gonna work out for me. You’ll see, Mike.”

Micky decided to head upstairs. “Gonna see if Davy’s awake. I want to chat to him about something. I’ll be back soon. Mike, will you take Dylan from me? He doesn’t smell too bad now.” He laughed.

Mike sat down with Dylan on his lap. “Something’s definitely up with him, and I’ve got a bad feeling about that chick, Cathy—she doesn’t seem his type to me. She looks too serious. He needs someone who’ll appreciate his odd sense of humor, and I don’t think she’s that type. What do you think?”

“I agree. She seems the type who wants a guy who can provide a better life for her. She said she wants to work in theater, to be an actress—Micky isn’t gonna be able to provide her with the kind of lifestyle I think she wants, and that her dad already provides. I’ve seen plenty of girls like her—remember I went to a private school full of rich kids. I didn’t really fit in there…it wasn’t for me.” 

Upstairs, Micky woke Davy as he barged into their room. “Oh, you’re awake then,” he exclaimed.

“Now I am, thanks to you. Do you really need to make as much noise as you did? You could wake the dead. I guess you want something, and I won’t be able to get back to sleep.”

“Yeah, sorry. I’m too worked up. Lots of things to do and think about. I want Mike to let me choose the set list tonight so I can impress Cathy. I need your help. I want to change into something afterward…what do you think I should wear for our first date?”

“Well, let’s have a look through your closet… Maybe something not too bright…something classy and subtle. The blue and gray paisley shirt could do. You could match them with our gray band pants.”

“Thanks. You can help me work on Mike too. I’ll enlist Pete’s help too—need Mike in a good mood, and we need to start planning that surprise party for them that we started thinking about last night. We need to think of details like where to hold it, who to invite and when,” Micky said.

“How about at Ronnie’s club? She might give us a discount and we could hold it in the back room. Pete’s family are too far away to invite, unless we get Annie to call Nick…maybe he could get here. But we can only really invite people who know they’re together, and are cool with it.”

“How about we use a code name for this plan so they don’t suspect anything if they hear us talking? I’ve told Annie about it already, and she said her gran might give us some money to spend. We could maybe use it for beer and some food,” Micky suggested.

“Ask your mom to make them a cake as a present. We can ask your family to come. Coco can bring her boyfriend, and you can invite Cathy. I’m sure I can find a bird to bring.”

Downstairs, Mrs. Straus had now arrived, and Pete was making her a coffee. She was sitting beside Annie and making a fuss over Dylan, who Mike had handed over to her. Mike went to help Pete and get another coffee.

He put his arm around Pete and gave him a brief kiss. “Morning, babe, you okay?” he asked, putting down his cup and hugging Pete tight to him.

“Morning, Michael. Fine, thanks. A little sore, though, thanks to you, but it was worth it. I’m happy and you look good with that smile on your face.” He tilted his head to receive another kiss.

Micky and Davy came downstairs and went into the kitchen to get some breakfast. Davy got out some bread to toast and brewed a pot of tea, Micky just got a bowl of cornflakes and sat in the living room, saying hello to Mrs. Straus.

“Are we rehearsing sometime today, Mike? I was wondering if we could maybe do most of my songs. Just with Cathy coming to see us tonight, it’d be good if I could show her that I’m the lead singer, impress her. I could write the set list,” Micky asked.

“All right, but shouldn’t she like you for who you are, not that you’re just the singer in a band? You plan it out and then we’ll rehearse it, okay? Put a few songs in for Davy too. He’ll want the female attention too, not just you. Anything else or is that it?” Mike asked Micky.

“Well nothing else really. Davy, how about you and I head off to the beach? We can plan the set and other things there in the fresh air, when we’ve finished breakfast.”

“We could help you, Micky, if you want? I don’t mind,” Pete said. “Mike can help too.”

“It’s okay. You enjoy some time on your own with Mike. Why don’t you go out for a while? Go get some lunch? Davy and I can make ourselves something later and even clean up after ourselves. We can manage, guys, You two go do something fun and we’ll be ready to rehearse when you get back.” Micky winked at Davy.

“Yeah, we can make dinner tonight too, before we go out. We’ll take your turn,” Davy said.

“You trying to get rid of us? What on earth are you two up to? You’re not normally so eager to offer to make dinner or take my turn—what have you done wrong? You broke something, Mick?”

“Me? I’ve done nothing wrong or broken anything! We’re just offering to be nice, let both of you have some alone time. Go on, find something to do…go for a walk, watch a movie, go to a diner.”

“Oh, Michael, it’s good of them to offer. We could just go for a drive, get out of the pad for a while. I’ll buy you lunch. Come on, let’s go,” Pete said.

As they were setting off in the Monkeemobile after Mike had given in to Pete, he was still wondering what the matter was with the two younger Monkees. “I’m really sure those two are up to something behind our backs. The girls move out soon—I bet one of them wants their room, so they’re being nice to us so we’ll agree with them.”

“Michael, they don’t have to have an ulterior motive to be nice to people. You always think the worst of situations. They’re just thinking of us having some time together, believe me. Trust them.”

“Pete, trust them—are you sure? They could be up to anything. I know I gave in to him with the set list. I bet it’s the room. They’re thinking of chicks! Bringing them back for the night…that’s why they want separate rooms. Davy will have put Micky up to it, thinking with his dick. You’re too trusting, Pete, and they both know that. They’ll use you to get me to agree to what they want.”

“If that’s what they want, they’ll no doubt ask us when they’re ready to. Let’s just wait and see. Anyway, where shall we eat? I don’t mind. You can choose.”

“Pete, there it is—you can decide for once. You always want to please other people before yourself. I need to toughen you up. Come on, you choose. There’s quite a bit of choice round here.”

“Okay, how about pizza? We both like that.”

Mike nodded. “Good. Pizza it is then. Let me find a parking space and we’ll try that Italian place around the corner.”

Meanwhile, back at the pad, Davy and Micky had a notepad, and Micky had gone in the other guys’ room and got Pete’s journal, which had addresses and phone numbers of his friends in. They’d already decided to invite Robin and Laurie, who they’d met the other day. Mrs Straus had offered to pay for the venue, food and drink.

Annie was currently on the phone, talking to Ronnie to see if they could have the party in the club’s back room. Ronnie said yes and she gave them a really good price for the party. Annie made her promise not to say a word when Mike and Pete were around at the gig later on.

“So now the venue’s sorted. Would you call Robin and Laurie and invite them? Ask if they know any other of Pete’s friends who could come? It’s just gonna be hard finding anybody to invite for Mike. I mean we can’t invite any of his ex’s or ask them about his friends. Do you know any of anyone Davy? I could ask some of the guys he knows in other bands, I suppose.”

“Hey, Pete’s got quite a few chicks’ numbers in here—I wonder what they look like? Are they his hippie protestor friends? Let’s just hope some of them are cute,” Davy said.

“Is that all you ever think of, Davy, always on the look-out for the next girlfriend?” Annie asked.

“It helps to have a back-up, even though I never have problems getting a date. The English charm always works. Birds seem to love my accent—they can’t get enough of me.”

“Annie, his main love is himself and the mirror, but he always seems to be able to get a date wherever we go. I’m just glad that I found Cathy when he wasn’t around,” Micky said.

“Hey, she might prefer me, when I meet her tonight.” Davy laughed at Micky.

“I’ll tell her how you can’t keep a chick for long. She’s a classy girl…too good for you, Davy.”

“What does she see in you, then, Mick? Annie, you met her—what does she seem like to you? You think her and Micky are gonna make a good couple?”

Micky looked at Davy and then at Annie, wondering what she would say.

“I think Micky’s a great guy and any girl would be lucky to have him,” Annie replied.

Davy noticed she didn’t really answer the question, but he didn't say anything.


	6. Chapter 6

Micky came back into the living room after returning Pete’s journal to his room and sat on the couch. “That’s all sorted now. Quite a few people invited and we’ve asked them to mention it to friends. Annie’s spoken to Nick and he says he’ll try and get here as soon as he can and ask Chris and their mom. I doubt his dad will be interested in coming.”

“Nyles says he’ll come and gave me a few numbers of Mike’s friends. So things are going well. What else to we need to plan next?” Davy asked.

Suddenly the front door opened and Micky and Davy quickly went quiet and avoided looking at Mike and Pete. Mike noticed the sudden change of atmosphere in the room and looked at Pete to see if he’d sensed any awkwardness between then, but Pete showed nothing but his usual smile.

“Hey, guys, I got the set list planned out,” Micky said as he handed over a piece of paper to Mike to see what he thought. “I have put a few songs you and Davy sing, so it’s not all me. What do you think, Mike? Is it okay with you?”

Mike looked at the list of songs and showed Pete. He knew Pete wouldn’t mind whatever they played. There were some songs that let him play banjo and keyboards, so that’d make him happy. “Looks fine to me, Mick. Is everyone ready to rehearse now?” he asked the others.

“We’re both ready, Mike. Davy and I have been waiting for you two to return. Did you enjoy having a break?” He looked over at Davy then Mike.

“Yeah. Okay then, guys, let’s get started.” He passed Pete his bass and picked up his twelve-string Gretsch. Micky got behind his kit and Davy took up his tambourine and maracas, and they started working their way through the songs Micky had planned for them.

They went through both the first and second and Mike seemed pretty happy with everything. It was their first gig since their break. Micky was looking forward to tonight.

“That was good, don’t you think, Mike? I tried to choose a bit of everything, rock and roll, ballads, country style, a few songs for Davy to take over on drums or bass, and plenty for the crowd to get on the floor dancing,” Micky commented happily.

“Yeah, you’ve done well. I think it’ll be a good gig, and you’ve got quite a lot that’ll impress the chick you’ve got coming to see you perform. She’ll see how good a singer you are,” Mike replied.

“Thanks, Mike. Davy and I will pack the instruments into the Monkeemobile and then we can make a start on dinner, won’t we, Davy?” Micky said as he started taking his drum-kit apart.

They were soon both in the kitchen, trying to decide what to prepare. Micky went to check the freezer. He knew Annie had done plenty of baking and cooking and had filled it up while they’d been away. He took out a chicken, a cheese and potato pie, and an apple pie. He got Davy peeling some potatoes so they could have fries, and he found some whipped cream in the ice box to have with the apple pie for dessert.

“Do you want any help with anything? I could set the table,” Pete asked, coming over to the kitchen. He started to open a cupboard to get some plates.

“No, it’s okay, Pete. You go sit down and wait. Davy and I agreed to sort dinner out for us all. It shouldn’t be long,” he said as he put the pies in the oven.

“Come on, Pete. Let Micky do some work while he’s in the mood. I really need to know why you’re in such an eager helpful mood lately, Mick, and I’m sure I’ll find out what you’re after. I’m keeping my eyes on you, boy. You’ll drop yourself in it soon.” Mike laughed

Davy came up beside Micky. “We need to be careful what we say. Just try and behave as naturally as you can around Mike. We don’t want him suspecting anything, so don’t act over the top—try and be like your more normal self, Mick.” He gave him as a knowing look as he moved away.

Mike was still watching how the pair were interacting with each other. They were being very tight with each other over the past few days. Pete might be easily taken in, but Mike was no fool. He intended to find out exactly what the younger pair were up to.

Annie came out of her room and offered to help Davy and Micky, but they told her to sit down with the other two. Mick said she’d already done her part preparing what they were cooking.

She came and sat in an armchair, picking up a magazine.

“Do you know what those two are up to, Annie?” Mike asked. “They went pretty quiet when we got back—you heard anything what they’ve been talking about?”

“No, sorry, no idea. I’ve been busying packing things up for the move tomorrow. Coco’s already moved all her things in. I just came out for a break. Christine left early with the car full of boxes she was gonna drop off and make a start. Micky’s dad’s bringing his van to help tomorrow, and you’ll have a quiet baby-free pad soon.”

“We’re gonna miss you. I’ve loved having my niece and nephew around, not even minding the crying and the smelly diapers. It’s gonna be odd without you around,” Pete said.

“We’re leaving a few things in the room…the bed and the chest of drawers. There are quite a few things already packed up in the garage, mainly the twins’ clothes. I’ll miss you lot too, but we won’t be too far away—you can come and see the twins as much as you want. I’ll probably still need your help.”

“But we’ll still kind of have two kids around the place,” Mike said, looking at Davy and Micky working surprisingly well together in the kitchen. “We’ll help as much as we can tomorrow—move whatever you need—and you know to call us if there’s anything we can do around the house.”

“Thanks, Mike. I’m grateful for everything you’ve all done already for me. You took me in, and I changed your life so much, but it’s been like having three other brothers, and you’ve all been brilliant with the twins. I think they’ll miss you, especially Micky singing to them both.”

Mike put his arm around Pete. He could see tears forming in his eyes. Pete was really going to miss having his sister around, and more than he’d ever admit too, not wanting to worry Annie.

“Me and Pete are gonna go take a walk on the beach. We’ll be back in about thirty minutes, guys." Mike took Pete’s hand, pulled him up and they went out of the back door.

“You two need to be more careful. Mike thinks that you’re both up to something! Just watch how you act around him. He’s not stupid. I keep having to tell him I’ve no idea about you being secretive.”

“Okay. Thanks for the warning. So try and be as normal as possible, and we’ll just tell Mike we were talking about chicks, that I was telling Davy about Cathy. He might believe that,” Micky replied to Annie.

“I just hope it works out well. You don’t want Mike too mad. It doesn’t seem like big surprises are something he’s keen on, and I don’t want to see Peter upset over this if it doesn’t work out.”

“Annie, if anyone can talk Mike around, it’s Pete. Mike seems to do anything for Pete. If Pete’s happy, he’ll be happy. Don’t worry, okay?” Davy said.

“I hope you’re right. I’m gonna check on the twins. It’s nearly time for their next feed. They’ll probably wake up soon.” Annie went off to her bedroom.

Not much later they were clearing up after dinner. Annie told the others to get ready for their gig and she’d see to washing and putting away the dishes. All their band clothes had been washed, ironed and put away while they’d been away—Annie had kept herself busy.

The guys were soon setting off to the club on the Strip. They got there before it opened so they could set their instruments up, all helping Micky bring his drum-kit in, and Davy helping him set it up while Mike and Pete tuned their guitars.

Ronnie came over with a tray of cokes for them. “Good to see you back, guys. People have been asking when you’ll be back. The band that’d be playing instead of you didn’t go down too well. If you noticed, I put some posters up announcing your return. You’re still okay for the Saturday and Sunday night gigs too, I hope?”

“Of course! We’ve missed playing. We’ve changed the set about a bit tonight. This gig’s all about Micky so he can impress some chick he’s invited here.” Davy laughed.

“Yeah, we won’t let you down. We can play anytime you need us,” Mike replied.

“Thanks, guys. Anything you need, just give us a shout. You’ll notice we’ve got some new lights up and tidied the stage up a bit—one of the other groups had an accident and caused a bit of damage. They won’t be coming back in a hurry.”

The guys went backstage to the dressing room to get ready. Mike could tell Micky was on edge. He couldn’t put his drumsticks down, tapping away on any surface he could.

“Chill out, Micky, don’t get yourself worked up. Everything’s gonna be fine. Just sit and calm down. Where’s Davy?” Mike asked, looking around.

“Gone to check out the crowd, probably to see what chick he’s gonna chat up tonight. Let’s just hope he doesn’t see your Cathy, Micky. He hasn’t met her yet, so has no idea what she looks like.”

“God, no, Pete. I better go check on him. Don’t want him flirting with her.” Micky got up and ran off to find Davy. Luckily for him, Davy was chatting to another blonde girl. Cathy hadn’t arrived yet.

“Well, things must be okay, because Micky hasn’t come back sulking, or hopping mad, and he would be if Davy’d got to the chick first.” Mike laughed to Pete.

“I hope she at least turns up for him. Otherwise he’ll be in a bad mood all night,” Pete answered.

Micky and Davy were soon back and ready to start their first set. “She’s not here yet,” Micky said.

They started their first number, with Micky singing without his normal enthusiasm until he saw Cathy walk onto the dance floor with a few other girls, which made him improve almost instantly.

The first set went down really well, starting with _Let’s Dance On_. Davy picked out a young blonde girl to sing a ballad to, her eyes watching his every move every minute. Cathy seemed to be enjoying the gig, dancing with the girls she’d arrived at the club with. Mike saw Micky hardly took his eyes off her. The guy seemed to be really hung up on her, Mike thought.

They finished their first set off with _I’m a Believer_ which the kids seemed to enjoy. Mike patted Micky on his back as he came up beside him to leave the stage.

“Good set, Micky. Thirty minutes’ break then we’re back on. Go talk to Cathy,” Mike said.

Micky went straight over to Cathy, firstly introducing her to Davy. One of her friends was the girl Davy had picked out to sing to, and they soon went off together to get a drink. Davy gave Micky a wink as they walked off arm in arm. Micky managed to get Cathy on her own, taking her over to the bar where he bought them both a coke, then finding them an empty table to sit at.

“What did you think? Did you enjoy our songs?” Micky asked Cathy

“Yeah, you were good. Not normally the type of band I’d watch, but yeah, I enjoyed myself. You don’t mind that I brought a few of my girlfriends along, do you?” she asked.

“Of course not. The more people coming to see us play, the better. Your friend seems to like Davy.”

“Well he is quite cute. I can see his appeal with young girls. Not my type, though. Is the band your only form of income, or do you have a day job as well?” she asked him.

“No, none of us do. The band’s our main priority. We take the odd temporary job to help pay the rent when we don’t have too many gigs, but we play here three nights a week. You could come and see us play Saturday and Sunday too, if you want?” Micky asked her hopefully.

“I’ll see about Saturday, but Sunday’s a no as I work on Monday and start early,” she answered.

By now, Mike and Pete were at a table, having a drink. Mike noticed that Cathy didn’t look too interested in what Micky was chatting to her about.

“She looks a bit bored with what he has to say,” Pete said. “She seems to be paying too much attention to that guy at the bar.”

“Yeah, I see that too, babe. I don’t think she’s really the one for him, but he won’t see that. He’s infatuated with her already, and you know what Micky’s like. He doesn’t like to give up. I just hope when the time comes, she lets him down gently,” Mike replied to Pete.

Pete nodded. “We’ll be there for him though. I hope he’ll find someone nice soon.”

It was soon time for them to get back on stage and start playing again.

Micky started the second set with _Sometime in the Morning_ , then Mike sang _The Kind of Girl I Could Love_ , _The Girl I Knew Somewhere_ and _You Just May be The One_. Davy’s songs were soon up with _She hangs Out_ , _Look Out, Here Comes Tomorrow_ , going into _Daydream Believer_.

Davy took over the drums and Micky went to the front and launched into _Words_ , then _Goin’ Down_ , finishing with _Randy Scouse Git_.

They played a short encore of a few songs requested by some girls on the dance floor and started to pack up their instruments, afterward loading them into the Monkeemobile.

Ronnie came over and gave Mike their money for the night, telling them it had been so good to have them back, and the club had had more people in for them than the band who’d replaced them. She went over to talk to Pete for a few minutes.

Pete came over to Mike. “I just need to talk to Vicky. Ronnie told me she wants to have a quick chat. I’m not sure what about but I shouldn’t be long.”

After he checked everything was locked away in the car, Mike went to see what Davy and Micky were up to. Micky was just saying goodbye to Cathy, he looked a little fed up, then he went over to Davy who was at the bar having a drink and chatting to a guy.

Mike noticed Cathy was leaving with the guy she’d been watching earlier, Mike was puzzled didn’t Micky say he was taking her to pops after the gig, he ask him later because now Micky was too busy chatting with Davy and the other guy to notice anything. From what Mike could see, they seemed to be having a good chat. Mike wasn’t sure who he was. He was sure he hadn’t seen the guy at any of their gigs before.

He watched them for a while, thinking he’d ask Davy and Micky about who the stranger was when they got back to the pad later.


	7. Chapter 7

It was now early Friday morning, the day of Mike and Pete’s surprise party that Micky and Davy had been secretly planning for the past few days, trying to keep things hidden from the older two. They’d nearly slipped up. Mike was already up, drinking his coffee and sitting out on the sundeck, enjoying the peace and quiet before the others got up. It had been odd last night, not hearing the twins crying, and Mike not finding Annie up before him already in the living room.

Mike hadn’t slept too well, because Pete had been tossing and turning in his sleep, and he’d been hoping he didn’t get up and go sleepwalking. It had been a good few months since Pete had an episode, but Mike knew stress could bring one on. But Pete had remained in bed.

Pete soon joined him on the sundeck, followed by Micky. Pete sat beside Mike. “Morning babe, morning, Mick,” Mike said as Pete cuddled up to him.

“What happened to you and Cathy going to Pop’s for pizza after the gig last night? I saw you saying bye to her—you look a little down, Mick?” Mike asked him.

“She couldn’t make it. Something came up last minute. She’d called her dad—think she had to be up early this morning for some work thing, so she couldn’t stay and hang around with us.”

“Who was the dark-haired guy at the bar? You and Davy were talking to him after we’d packed up.”

“Ah…no-one in particular. His name’s Jacob. He was just asking us about the band. He’s new in town and some friends suggested the gig to him. He told us he plays guitar a bit. He enjoyed the set and might come to see us again. He seemed a cool guy. I think you’d get on,” Micky said.

“Okay, what are you and Davy up to today? Are you both busy?” Mike asked

“I’m going to help Coco put some shelves up in her room. I think Davy might be out on a date around lunchtime, but, Mike, I want you to come check out a club with me later? I was thinking we could maybe see if we can get a gig there—you up for it?”

“Sure, Mick. Good work. Any chance of another gig is good news. Of course I’ll go. You wanna come too, Pete? We could meet you there, Mick.”

“I’m coming back here first. I think Davy wants to ask Pete to go somewhere with him, I think it’s something he’s checking out because of a chick. So it’ll just be you and me, Mike.”

“It’s okay, Mike, I don’t mind. I’ll ask Davy about it when he gets up. I don’t mind helping him out. You and Micky go check things out for us, get us some more gigs. That’ll be good,” Peter told him.

“All right. Please be careful…if Davy’s out to chase a chick, you know what he can get like. And just for the sake of one or two dates, because it rarely lasts any longer with him,” Mike said.

“I promise. I won’t get too involved. I’m not that stupid.” Pete laughed.

Mike pulled Pete in for a hug. “There’s no way you’re stupid, babe. Don’t let anyone ever tell you that. I think you’re pretty smart. You need to stop thinking the worst of yourself.”

Davy appeared at the sundeck door with a cup of coffee in his hand. “Morning, guys. I’m going out in about five minutes—got a date with a blonde chick from last night. I’ll be back just after lunch. I need a favor from you, Pete—we’ll talk about it when I get back, okay?”

“Are you gonna be back before lunch, Micky? I’ll make us all some sandwiches. We can have that and head out to look at that club, if that’s okay with you?” Mike asked.

“Yeah, I should be. I’m not sure how much Coco wants me to help her with though. Am I okay taking the Monkeemobile? You don’t need it, do you? Bye. See you soon.”

“Sure. I got no plans to go out.” Mike threw the keys to Micky. “How you going out, Davy?”

“I’m meeting her down the beach. I’m gonna head off and wait down there for her. She’s part of the girls’ beach volleyball team…so pretty and sporty. See you later, guys.”

Micky arrived at the girls’ house within a few minutes. Coco did actually want shelves putting up, but fortunately for Micky, Nick had already done it for her. Nick and Claire had arrived yesterday evening and had stayed the night. They’d all managed to keep his visit a secret. Pete’s mom was unable to make it, and of course his dad had claimed he was too busy, and had talked Chris into saying no.

“Hi, Micky. Nice to see you again. There’s only me and Claire, I’m afraid. Mom’s teaching, Dad refused and Chris won’t go against him. He knew Dad wouldn’t be happy if he came with us,” Nick said.

“That’s a shame, but at least you two are here for Pete and Mike, and thanks a lot for helping Coco out. It saved me a job, and her always complaining at me. Hi, Claire, congratulations on your engagement. Glad you could come. The girls have got a pretty good house here, not too far from us either. I know Pete’s missing the twins already.”

Claire had one of the twins and Annie came out of the bathroom with the other. “Look who’s here, Dylan. It’s Uncle Micky! Hi, Micky. It was odd last night, without you guys being around. These two missed you. Didn’t you, little man?” Dylan seemed to smile when he saw Micky.

Coco laughed. “Everyone finds Micky funny. He’s laughing at you, big brother.”

“How’re the plans for the party going? Mike’s not too suspicious, is he? I know he’d been thinking you and Davy were up to something,” Annie asked.

“It’s been hard getting some of Mike’s friends, but we asked some guys from the musicians union who they both know, and who seem pretty easygoing—not everyone knows they’re together.”

“I know how hard it is for people to accept couples who aren’t what they think of as normal, but if they’re good friends, they should be happy for Mike and Peter. I’ve done quite a bit of baking and cooking. We’re gonna set off to the club with it soon.”

“Mom’s gonna meet us there with a cake she’s made. She said she’s made a lot of buffet food too—you know what she’s like when she gets in the kitchen,” Coco said to Micky.

“Your gran’s paid for the venue and given Ronnie some money for drinks, so I reckon it should be a good night. The hard thing now is to get them both there. I think Davy will have it easier.”

“Yeah, Mike’s harder to persuade to do anything, unless it’s for Peter. I’m sure it’ll go okay and you’ll manage to get him there on time,” Annie said.

“I hope so. He can be quite stubborn. It’s the Capricorn in him, like Davy, but if he thinks the band will benefit, I think he’ll be okay.”

“You wanna stay for lunch, Micky? Or you getting something back at the pad?” Coco asked

“I told them I’d be back for lunch. Is there anything you need me to do while I’m here, or has Nick helped and done it all for you?” he asked her.

“Nothing, thanks, Micky. Yeah, Nick’s done the shelves and a few other little jobs. My room looks good now. It’s a bigger room than I had in the apartment. Just two noisier roommates, but after growing up with you, the twins should be easy to deal with.” She laughed.

“Well, thanks again, Nick, for saving me a job. If there’s nothing else anyone needs me for, I’m gonna drive back to the pad. Wish me luck with Mike…I think I might need it. See ya later.”

About five minutes later, Micky pulled the Monkeemobile up in the drive, and headed inside, Mike was in the kitchen, starting on preparing lunch. Pete was playing his acoustic guitar, sitting cross-legged on the bandstand, deep in concentration.

“Hey, Micky. You were quick—did she not have that much for you to do?” Mike asked.

“No, she got…her boyfriend to do what she needed, so I didn’t need to hang around for long. You gonna be ready to set off after lunch, Mike, go see that club manager with me?”

“Yeah sure. You are okay with that, Pete? You’ll have to wait and see what Davy wants you for.”

“I dread to think, but I’m fine. You go get us some more work,” Pete said.

Davy came in about twenty minutes later as they were finishing lunch. “You two get off. I’ll clear up and put the plates in the dishwasher,” Pete said to Mike and Micky.

“You think we should put our band shirts on, Mick, show up looking smart…or are we okay as we are? What type of club are we actually going to?”

“No need, Mike, we’re fine as we are. The club’s on the Strip, not too far from the Dive. It’s run by a chick, and gets a lot of cute girls in too. I had a good night there last week, and I think we’d do well there.”

Davy came out of his room in a paisley shirt with dark trousers, “You trying to look like Pete, Davy, because it doesn’t suit you as well as Pete?” Mike asked.

“No, it’s just that where we’re going, it’s for a protest meeting in a coffee bar near the Strip, and I thought I’d dress for it. Can we get a lift with you guys, Mick?”

Micky laughed at him. “You’re doing this for a chick, aren’t you, otherwise you wouldn’t go to anything with Pete’s type of friends! But yeah, no problem.”

“All right…this bird, Julie, she’s hot—long blonde hair, long legs…what more can I say? She’s going with her best friend who’s into this kind of event. I need Pete to keep her friend company,” Davy said.

“Hey, Davy, no using Pete, and keep an eye on your chick’s friend,” Mike said to him as they were getting into the Monkeemobile. “Make sure she keeps her hands to herself.”

“Don’t worry, Michael, you can trust me. I won’t get too near to her, and if she tries anything, I’ll let her know I’m not available.” Pete stroked Mike’s hand to reassure him.

“See you later, Mick.” Davy winked at Micky as they got out of the car.

Pete gave Davy a strange look as they walked into the coffee shop. “You really sure you wanna be here, Davy? I know quite a few of these people here, and it’s not really your scene.”

“Yeah, Pete, we’re not gonna be here long. There’s Julie and her friend over there. Come on, let’s say hello to them.” He dragged Pete over to the girls.

“Hi, Peter,” Julie’s friend said and hugged him. “Who’s your little friend? Oh, a friend of yours, Julie?” she commented as Davy went up to her.

“Jade, this is Davy. Davy, Jade. I think I’ve met Julie before too. Hello,” he said as she smiled at him.

“Hey, Jade, nice to meet you. Julie, do you wanna go grab and drink and have a chat over there?” Davy pointed to an empty table, and she followed him.

“I guess we’re just here to make up the numbers.” Jade laughed to Pete. “He doesn’t look like he belongs around this group—a bit too clean-cut, if you know what I mean. Nice to see you though.”

“I’ve been busy. We went back east for about four weeks and the band’s been getting more gigs. I’ve also got together with someone—things are going well. How’s things with you?”

“Good. We’re both moving out to San Francisco next month, got ourselves some jobs lined up. He’s only here for her, isn’t he? His shirt looks too new,” Jade said to Pete.

Davy came over to Pete about forty minutes later. “You wanna head off? I don’t think I really belong here… We could go somewhere else? There’s a band on at the Dive.”

“I might hang around a bit longer. Nothing’s really happened yet—you get off if you want?”

“No, Pete. I mentioned to Mick we’d meet him at the Dive anyway. They’ll be wondering where we are, and we’ll find out if he and Mike got us an audition or a gig.”

Pete nodded to Davy and gave Jade a hug and a peace sign as they walked out of the door. The Dive was only about a ten-minute walk away.

Meanwhile, Micky and Micky were at the club a block away. The manager was a chick in her early twenties, who said she’d seen them play at a few other clubs and could dig their sound. She agreed they could play a one-set trial the next Tuesday night and they’d see about more gigs if that went well with their regular crowd.

Mike looked in a good mood as they got back into the Monkeemobile. “We heading back home now?” he asked as he pulled out of the parking lot.

“Nah, I said we’d meet Davy at the Dive. There’s a band on tonight—make a change for us to watch a gig, have a night out…what do you think?” Micky asked. “Davy was gonna drag Pete along there too.”

Mike and Micky arrived at the club first and went in. The band the Jolly Green Giants were just setting up and said hi to the guys. Ronnie was behind the bar and Micky went to get some drinks. Davy and Pete arrived and sat with Mike. Micky nodded to Ronnie.

“Okay, everything’s ready in the back. There’s a good amount of people. Your mom’s here too. Nice lady. Just take them through when you’re ready,” she said to him as she gave him their Cokes.

“Any of you wanna take these through to the back room? The band’s not starting for a while and there’s always music on the juke box there.” He picked up his drink and walked off.

Davy got up and the other two followed him. Micky opened the door and as Mike and Pete walked in after the others, they were greeted by a loud shout of ‘Surprise!’ from a group of people looking straight at them. Pete grabbed Mike’s hand and they both looked shocked.

Nick came over first and gave his brother a big hug, patting Mike on the back, Claire beside him. “What are you doing here?” Pete asked Nick.

“Micky and Davy invited us. They’ve planned this surprise party for you. Annie helped too. I got here yesterday and crashed overnight at her house. None of the other family could make it.”

“I knew you two were up to something.” Mike hugged both Davy and Micky. “You played dumb too, Annie. Thanks, guys. We really appreciate it, don’t we, Pete?”

Pete nodded. He had tears in his eyes but happy ones. He pulled Annie close to him, before he leaned into Mike and kissed him. 

They greeted their many friends who’d come to the party, shaking hands and thanking them for coming. Mike noticed more were Pete’s friends—Pete was a lot more sociable than he was.

He saw the guy who’d been at their gig last night, the one he’d seen talking to Micky and Mike. Pete walked up to him.

“Hi” he said, blushing slightly, looking surprised. “Jacob, what are you doing here?”


	8. Chapter 8

Whoever that guy was, Pete looked shocked to see him, but it seemed like they knew each other. The guy pulled Pete in for a hug. It didn’t look like just a normal friendly type to Mike—there was a lot more to it. The guy held on to Pete tightly and it lasted for a good while, a lot longer than it should have done.

 _Who invited this guy, and who the goddamn is he? Get your hands off my man!_ Mike thought.

“Hey, Mike. How’s it going? Things a lot better with you two since I last saw you?”

Mike was still gazing over at Pete and the stranger. _Don’t you move that hand any lower. Wait until I get my hands on you, I’ll…_ “Oh, sorry, Nick. Things are good. Couldn’t be better. And you? How’s the wedding planning going? Both sets of parents still taking over with everything?”

 _“_ Yeah, they’re taking everything over, but I don’t mind, as long as Claire’s happy. I just gotta turn up and marry her. Micky told me you two are kind of engaged as well—well, you exchanged rings? That’s cool. You make my brother happy. I can see that.”

“Thanks, Nick. I hope I do. He makes me happy too. Hey, do you know who the guy Pete’s talking to is? They look like they know each other well?”

“Oh, that’s Jacob Parker, an old friend of Pete’s. They go back years—both at college together and his dad went to Carleton with our dad too. We lived near his family in Detroit for a while. Don’t worry; they were never as close as you’re thinking. I’m sure he’s into chicks.”

“Ah, good.” _Good job he let go of Pete. So he’s just very friendly. I better go over and say hello, introduce myself, let him know exactly who I am._

 _“_ Nick, you’ve no idea. Jacob’s so not totally straight—didn’t you catch the way he looked at Pete when he first saw him again?” Annie laughed at him. “It took you a while to realize Peter was into guys though, didn’t it?”

Mike had already walked away from them, not hearing what Annie had said to Nick. He went over to where Micky and Davy were standing with Cathy and another blonde chick.

“There’s free drinks behind the bar, Mike. You look like you need one.” Micky laughed, noticing Mike still watching Pete and Jacob out of the corner of his eye. “Sorry we didn’t tell you who he was—we didn’t want to spoil the surprise.”

Mike nearly spit out the beer he was drinking when he saw Pete coming over to him with his friend following him.

“Michael, I’d like you to meet Jacob. He’s a friend from college. Jacob, this is Michael, my partner. Jacob’s moved over here to start a Master’s in Math at UCLA in the fall.”

“I haven’t quite been accepted yet, Pete. I’m just waiting on some help with my application.”

“I heard it’s really hard to get accepted for a Master’s there, especially for out of state students? I had a friend from Nevada who met all the academic requirements, and could afford it, but she still got turned down,” Cathy said.

“Ermm…well, I have a contact who can help. He’s promised to pull a few strings,” Jacob said.

“That’s good,” Cathy replied

“I guess…but I’m gonna owe them a favor in return for their help,” Jacob said.

“That’s very lucky…” Mike started to say, but noticed a change in the guy’s face. He seemed a little uncomfortable talking about it and Mike wasn’t surprised when he changed the subject. Well, nobody liked owing someone a favor. Mike didn’t.

“I want to realize my dad’s dream for me, that I go into teaching like he did. He passed away last year. I need the Master’s to go for my PhD, so it’s quite important,” he said.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know about your dad, Jacob. Dad probably knew but we don’t keep in touch anymore. I’m still a disappointment to him. I moved out and went to live in the Village as soon as I could. Is your mom still teaching?” Pete asked.

“She’s the principal now of the junior high school she was teaching at. Dad was still teaching at the high school, but wanted me to teach at college, do what he never got to do,” Jacob said.

“Pete, we maybe need to go and thank some of our other friends for coming, babe.” Mike took Pete’s hand and pulled him away from Jacob. He walked them over to see the cake. “Why don’t we go try some of this food? Thanks, Mrs. Dolenz. I recognize your cakes anywhere.”

“No problem, boys. Come here. I want a hug from both of you. I’m so happy. You make a lovely couple. I’m proud of Micky too, for organizing this for you. I know you put up with a lot from him, and I know how much of a handful he can be at times.” She hugged them together, kissing them on their cheeks.

“Thanks, Mrs. Dolenz, but don’t worry. We’re used to Micky by now, but we wouldn’t want him any other way. He’s a good friend. He helped us get together in the first place,” Pete said.

“Who’s the girl with Micky? He hasn’t mentioned to me he has a new girlfriend. She doesn’t look his type, and I’m not sure I like the look of her,” she said to them.

“We’re not so sure about her. I saw her leave with another guy after our gig. I don’t trust her.” Mike looked over at her trying to flirt with Jacob. “Look at her with your friend.”

 _He doesn’t look too interested in her though. He looks bored, and what kind of guy wouldn’t be interested in a young, tall, slim, long-legged blonde chick?_ No normal red-blooded male that he knew _._

“I don’t think she’s his type, Mike. From what I remember, he preferred more quieter blondes—she’d be too loud for him, too much, if you know what I mean,” Pete said. “You okay?”

“I’m good.” He saw Cathy now chatting to a guy by the bar. She didn’t really seem into Micky at all, but he was too busy chatting to Davy to notice.

Jacob walked over to Pete and Mike, putting his arm over Pete’s shoulder. He was a little taller. “Isn’t Cathy, the blonde girl, with your friend? I think you need to warn him. She asked me if I wanted to go to another club with her after the party. I turned her down though, so I think that she’s moved on to that other guy over there, lined up another option.”

“Micky seems blind when it comes to her. He’s besotted. I’ll go and warn him. Won’t be long, Pete.”

Mike walked over to Davy and Micky, leaving Pete and Jacob alone together. “So you and this Mike guy, you been together long? Is it quite serious?” Jacob asked him.

“About six months now. Yeah, it serious for me. I love him. We’ve known each other about two years now. I never thought he’d love me back, though, so getting together was a nice surprise.”

“He seems a little intense to me. I see the way he watches over all of you, like now with the curly-haired guy and that Cathy girl. He seems to like to take charge…he doesn’t seem like your type, Pete, but if you’re happy… Are you happy with him?”

“Yes, I am happy, thanks. Yeah, he does look after us. The other two are like kids at times, so we both look out for them. They can be hard work. I never really had a type. I wasn’t even sure of myself. No one was ever interested in me, remember?” Pete replied to him.

“Well you’ll be seeing me around Ronnie’s. The managers gave me a trial behind the bar. I’m gonna need a job to help support myself through my degree, and I’ve found a small apartment around the corner from here, and one thing I remember is you always promised to teach me the guitar.”

“I’m sorry that college wasn’t for me. I gave it two goes, only to please Dad,” Pete said.

“You missed some good parties. I’ve seen Nick is here, and is that your little sister, Anne? Your whole family aren’t here, are they?” Jacob asked, looking around.

“No, they’re not here. Just Nick and his fiancé, Claire. That is Annie and she’s here with her girlfriend, Christine. She works behind the bar. Annie moved to California.”

“Ah, okay. So, I guess your dad isn’t too happy with Anne’s and your choice of partners?”

“No he isn’t. That’s why he hasn’t come. He disowned both of us. I gave up trying to please him years ago. You know what he’s like, but it’s his loss, as Annie has two children now.”

“Things have changed a lot since I last saw you. I know things were a little awkward between us then, but we’re okay now. We can be friends—you cool with that?” Jacob asked.

“Yeah, things are fine. That was ages ago. I’ve changed since then,” Pete replied. 

Mine walked over to the bar where Cathy was still flirting with a guy. He listened for a few minutes and asked if he could chat to her, taking her around a corner away from anyone else seeing them. “Cathy, can I be blunt and straight to the point? You ain’t interested in Micky at all, are you?”

“He’s kinda cute, a bit goofy-looking, but he’s still a kid. I need a real man with prospects, someone who can look after me. Micky doesn’t fit into my future plans. He’s just a bit of fun,” she said.

“Are you gonna tell him this, or shall I? He’s looking for something serious and he thinks you’re the one. You need to let him down gently before he gets hurt too much—you willing to do that?”

“He’s only young—surely he doesn’t want to settle down yet. Why shouldn’t I have fun with a guy or two? Boys do it all the time, and nothing gets said about it,” Cathy stated.

“I know. He’s done that before, but it’s not what he wants now. So you better tell him it’s over, in the easiest way you can without hurting him, and the sooner the better for all of us. Now go do it.”

He nudged her, encouraging her to go over and talk to Micky, which she did. She didn’t look too happy about it, but it needed doing before Micky got in too deep. Mike watched them talk, waiting for Micky when she’d finally finished—he’d be there for him as always.

He gazed from Micky and Cathy to Pete and Jacob, who were standing a bit too close for his liking. _I don’t think I trust that guy one little bit. He keeps staring over at me too—there’s something in the way he looks at me. Pete looks happy laughing with him. I need to go see…_

“Micky, you okay?” He hadn’t noticed Micky walk over to him—his thoughts had been on Pete for a moment. Micky looked a little down.

“She dumped me, Mike! Cathy just told me it’s over! She said there’d never really been anything between us, that it was all in my head, and she wants a real man, not a boy.”

“Mick, just forget about her. She obviously wasn’t the right chick for you, and it’s better you found out now rather than further down the line. You’ll find the right girl. She’s out there somewhere.”

“I wonder where I’m going wrong? Do you remember that moment we had? I enjoyed it, and things could have been so much different if we’d maybe taken it further?”

“Micky, we were both drunk and it was something that should never have happened. And I’m with Pete now—I don’t wanna think about the past. It was a drunken mistake. Please just forget about it,” Mike said, remembering exactly what they’d done after that party last year.

“Okay, sorry about that. Not another word, I promise. I’ll change the subject. You don’t mind that we invited Pete’s old friend? We just got talking to him after the gig—he was asking after Pete, and we thought it would be a nice surprise for him. He seems okay.”

 _He_ seems _all right, but I’m keeping my eye on him…there’s something—_

 _“_ You okay, Mike? You seem confused. I’m sorry.”

“I’m fine, Micky, just thinking about something. Jacob seems a decent guy, and if he’s a friend of Pete, I’ll make an effort to get to know him, but now I need to make sure you’re okay.”

Davy had walked over to them, and he seemed to know about Micky’s problem. “You’ll be back to normal soon, Mick. That chick was too intense for you. She was after a meal ticket. You had a lucky escape there, I’d say—she’s already left with another guy.”

“Thanks, guys. You’re both the best. I better go over and talk to Coco, meet her new boyfriend…help him escape from my mom’s inquisition.” Micky laughed.

“I’ll have him back to normal in no time. Back in the saddle and he’ll forget all about Cathy. Don’t worry about him, Mike. I’ll have him meeting some new chicks, dating again.”

“Just don’t let him go crazy. Ease him into things. We don’t need him falling head over heels for someone as quickly this time. Don’t have him acting like you do—one chick only.”

“Okay, Mike, all right! Looks like you have other things—or somebody else—on your mind … Why don’t you go relax? It’s a party! Go get a drink and mix with your guests. I’m off to find my date.”

Davy went over to Micky first. “Do you think we did the right thing inviting that Jacob guy? Mike seems a bit put out by him being here. It’s not as if Pete’s gonna go off with him—Pete’s not that type. It looks like they’re just catching up on old times.”

“I think Mike’s just naturally a little jealous, and maybe a bit wary around someone he doesn’t know. I overheard Nick telling him that Jacob’s into chicks, so he won’t be flirty with Pete,” Micky said.

Mike was at the bar when Pete and Jacob came over for a drink.

“Can I buy you both a drink? Beer for you, Mike? Is it still Coke for you, Pete? I remember you stopped drinking after that…incident.”

“It’s a free bar, Jacob, and, thanks, I’ll have a beer,” Mike said.

“Yeah, a Coke for me. I’ve not really drunk alcohol for the past few months…better to stay sober. I’m just gonna go and use the bathroom.”

Annie walked over to them. She said hello to Jacob and he hugged her.

“Nice to see you. You’ve really changed since I last saw you. Pete told me you’ve got children, too.”

“I was about fourteen the last time I saw you, and yes, I’ve grown up a lot. Had to since I became a mom to twins, a girl and boy.” She showed him a photo from her purse.

“Nice. I’ve got a job here too, behind the bar, so you’ll see me around a bit.”

“All right. Peter’s changed a lot over the past few years—he doesn’t need anyone messing with his head like you did last time. It took a while to get him sorted, and he’s very happy now with Mike.”

Mike stared at Annie, wondering what on earth she was talking about.


	9. Chapter 9

Mike, half-awake, rolled over, finding the other side of the bed empty. Where was Pete? Mike hadn’t heard him get up. He couldn’t get the image of Pete with that Jacob guy out of his mind. What was it about him? _He had an odd look in his eyes when he was talking to me…there’s definitely something in their past that Annie isn’t happy about. I need to talk to her,_ Mike thought.

He sat up and stretched an arm out, reaching for his watch to see the time. He found a note on his bedside table. From Pete:

S _omeone from studio called about some session work - meeting them at Cookie’s Coffee and Baked Café - you wanna meet me there at 11.30?_

It was now after ten-thirty—Mike had slept in. Well, time to get a shower and a shave, then head off to the Strip. At least he could get a coffee there. The pad was quiet, the other two still in bed. He arrived at the coffee house around twenty past eleven, finding a parking space luckily in front of the place. Just as he was about to get the door, a guy was leaving from the other side. Mike turned around. _Jacob? What’s he doing here?_

Mike went up to the counter, where Ben, a friend of theirs, was serving. “Hi! Is Pete around?” Mike asked him.

“Hi, Mike. He was upstairs chatting to a guy about five minutes ago—saw them last time I went up with some coffees, but the other guy just left. You go up, and I’ll come take your order when I’ve finished this one.”

Mike went upstairs, finding Pete on his own at a table, reading a magazine. He looked a little startled when Mick came over and sat opposite him. Pete checked his watch. “Hey, you’re early. Sorry about leaving early—it’s turned out to be a wasted journey. No one showed up. Been getting a bit bored here on my own and I’m glad you’re here now. I’ll go order.”

“’S’okay, Ben said he’d be up in a minute. Were you chatting to Jacob while you were waiting?”

Pete looked at Mike a bit puzzled. “No, why do you ask that? I haven’t spoken to him since last night at the party.”

“I just thought I saw him leaving as I got here, and Ben said you were up here chatting with someone—who was that, then?” Mike asked.

“Ah…that was just someone asking if we’re playing at the Dive this weekend. I don’t know his name, but think I’ve seen him before at our gigs a few times. Jacob might be behind the bar tonight, though.”

Ben came and took their order. “You want some cake, Mike? I’m gonna. I skipped breakfast. Two chocolate chip muffins please, Ben,” Pete said, without waiting for Mike to reply.

“Are you okay, Michael? You don’t look too good… We can finish here and go home if you want, or take the muffins with us? Do you wanna leave now?” Pete asked.

“We can finish off here. I just need to call at the music store on the way home, get a few spare guitar strings. Is there anything you need? Do you wanna call at the studio, see if the guys there?”

“No, it’s fine. I probably got the time or place mixed up. He’ll contact me later, I’m sure.”

“Okay then.” Mike reversed the car out and drove a little farther down the Strip. Pete stayed quiet, just looking out of the window, not noticing Mike watching him. He waited in the car while Mike went into the store.

“Hi, Tom, what you doing working here?” “I thought you’d be at the studio—someone called Pete about a session this morning. Do you need to see him? I’ll go get him.”

“Nah, man, the studio’s closed for just over another week. We’re having some new equipment set up and a bit of building work, so I’m helping a friend out here for a few days. What can I do for you?”

Mike got the strings and decided to have a look around. Not feeling like rushing back to the car, he looked through some of the records in the racks, thinking. _Why did Pete lie about why he was out? He could have just told me he was seeing Jacob… There’s got to be some reason he doesn’t want me to know about it. We both promised to be honest with each other._

He got back into the car about ten minutes later, and looked over at Pete who smiled back at him. The drive home seemed to last forever as neither of them said a word to each other. Back at the pad, the other two guys were up and Davy had made some sandwiches for lunch and was on the couch reading a music magazine, while Micky sat playing his drums.

“Are we rehearsing after lunch?” Davy asked. “Just wondering as I’ve got a date.”

“No, I think we’re okay. Just do our normal set. We can change a few things around and rehearse tomorrow, so you go off and enjoy yourself—just be back in time to leave,” Mike said.

“Don’t worry. I’m not going with him. I’m having a break from chicks for a bit. Last night was tough. I really thought she was the one, but she didn’t even give us a chance, seeing someone else from the first date.”

“Looks like you got out at the right time, Micky. I’m sorry, but I wasn’t really sure she was the chick for you. She just seemed too into herself, and she’ll do the same with any guy, I think.”

“Mike’s right, and you don’t want to be with someone who’d cheat on you. You need to be with a person you can believe in. She’d just have messed you about, lying to you so she could see other guys behind your back,” Pete said to Micky.

 _Trust. I’m not sure if I know you right now, Peter, when you’ve lied to me today,_ Mike thought. _“_ Yeah, I agree, Pete: you need to be honest with the person you’re in a relationship with. Like Pete and me—we promised to be honest with each other, so we don’t keep secrets, do we, Pete?”

Pete came over and wrapped his arm around Mike’s waist. “No, we don’t. I trust you, Michael.”

“Thanks, Pete. Love you too.” Mike put his arms around him and hugged him tight. _Trust goes both ways… I think I need to talk to Annie. Maybe she can help. I think I’ll phone her…_

The phone suddenly rang, interrupting them. Mike was about to let go of Pete to answer it, but Davy got to it first. “Oh, hello…yeah, he’s here. I’ll get him for you. Pete…it’s for you.”

Davy held out the phone. Pete gave Mike a brief kiss and took it from Davy. “Hi, yeah, I’m fine thanks…so you’ll be there tonight? That’s good. It was good to see you, yeah, nice surprise.”

“Who’s that on the phone, Davy?” Mike asked him.

“That friend of his we met the other day. He was at the party last night. What was his name, Micky? Oh yeah, Jacob, that’s it.”

“So how did he get our number? Either of you know?” Mike betted that Pete gave it to him. But why?

“Yeah sure, I don’t mind. Of course I’ll do that. I haven’t really got any other plans… One minute, just writing that down…I know where that is.” Pete put the piece of paper in his pocket while he was listening to Jacob on the other end.

Mike was trying to keep as calm as possible, staring over at Pete on the phone. Pete noticed him and gave him a big smile. _What plans are you making with Jacob?_ Mike wondered. _Playing with the cable, like Davy does when he’s talking to a chick, but you do it when you’re nervous, don’t you, Pete?_

“Oh my god, yeah! I remember that! Yeah, we’ll all be there tonight, tomorrow too—we play Saturday and Sunday every week. You working tomorrow too? We need to have a good catch-up but somewhere a bit quieter than a club…no problem. I can do that. It’ll be my pleasure.”

“I’m gonna head off. I was gonna call my chick, but he’s hogging the phone. Oh, wait a minute, looks like he’s neatly finished,” Davy said.

“No. Mike’s cool. He won’t mind at all…bye then…see you later.” Pete hung up the phone.

Mike was just gonna ask Pete something, when the phone rang again. Pete answered, being the nearest. “Oh hi. No, I haven’t forgotten. I’ll be there soon. I’ll set off in a minute. Bye.”

Davy quickly took the phone to make his call. “Makes a change, you not hogging it. You could do with your own separate hotline.” Micky laughed at Davy.

Pete was over by the coat stand getting his jacket, and Mike went to talk to him. “You going out? Where to? Do you know how long you’ll be?” he asked.

“Yeah…just to Annie’s…mmm, that was her on the phone reminding me. I better leave now. It won’t take me long. I think I’ll get something to eat there, and get a lift to the club with Christine. Will you take my bass later? Thanks…love you,” he said to Mike, giving him another kiss.

“I’m going out too, don’t wanna keep her waiting long. I should be back in time for a shower before we need to leave. See you guys later,” Davy said, as he was walking out of the door.

“Busy here today, don’t you think?” Micky said to Mike. “You okay?”

“I don’t know…I know one thing: I wish you hadn’t met Jacob, or invited him to the party last night. Things were going well until Pete saw him.”

“Mike, they’re just friends! Don’t worry about things. It’s Pete, not Davy. He wouldn’t mess you around. He’s not that type of person. You know that,” Micky said.

“I think I’m gonna give Annie a call, she if he turns up there. I need to ask her about a few things too, something I heard her say the other night.”

“You can’t do that. It won’t look good, you checking up on him, and you’ll have just wasted your time. I bet you he’s there.” Micky passed him the phone. “Go on. call her.”

Mike dialled her number and Nick answered. “Hello, Mike, how are you?”

“Good, thanks, Nick. Is Annie there, or wait a minute, is Pete there yet?” he asked.

“Annie won’t be a minute. She’s just changing Summer’s diaper. Yeah Pete’s been here a few minutes—do you want to talk to him? He forget something?” Nick laughed, looking over at Pete. “I’m coming to your gig tonight, maybe tomorrow too. Claire’s up for a night out. Annie’s here now.”

“Hi, Mike what do you want? It’s a little bit mad here—Dylan’s a bit cranky, and Summer’s either being sick or filling her diaper…not a good day. How can I help you?” she asked.

“I was wondering how well you know Jacob and what you meant when you mentioned him messing with Pete’s head, and it took him a while to get sorted? What happened?”

“Mike, I’ll be honest with you. I don’t know him too well. It’s been about four years since I last saw him, and I’d rather not say…I thinks it’s best you ask Peter about that. It’s not my place, and I don’t really know the full details. He’s here now, but I don’t think it’s something to discuss over the phone.”

“But what do you think of him? I got the impression you aren’t too keen.” Mike was determined to get her to open up about Jacob.

“I’m sorry, Mike, but you and Pete need to sit down together and talk about this. My feelings don’t matter. I’m gonna have to go. Summer’s been sick again and we’re expecting a visitor. Bye.”

“So, sounds like Pete’s there, so he didn’t lie to you. You know you can trust him, okay, Mike? Just calm down. You’re getting yourself worked up over nothing. Told you it was a waste of time.”

“Not totally, Micky. Annie was a bit stressed. The twins don’t seem well. She knows something but wouldn’t talk about it—told me to talk to Pete about it.” Mike sat next to Micky.

“So what are you thinking? You know nothing happened between them that way in the past. Pete told you—you were his first relationship, first time and whatever else… We had to help get you together, remember, and before you think it, Pete’s not a cheat. Ooh, that rhymes.” Micky laughed.

“Nothing’s funny, Mick. This is serious. Remember how you felt after finding about Cathy messing around behind your back, and you’d only been together a few days? Not good, is it?” Mike stated.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make a joke of things. Listen, I really think you’re overthinking things.”

Mike hoped Micky was right, but right then, he didn’t know what to think. _“_ Do you think I should go there and talk to him now, Mick?”

“I think you need to calm yourself down, and going there’s not a good idea while you’ve got yourself worked up over what could be nothing, as I said before.” Micky started to rub Mike shoulders.

“Okay, suppose you’re right, Mick. Thanks for being a good friend and here for me to talk to. I just get wound up. I guess I’m just jealous and should trust Pete.”

***

Meanwhile back at Annie’s, Christine had taken Summer to give her a bath and Claire was fussing over Dylan. She sat beside Pete and could tell he’d heard part of the conversation.

“Why did Mike call? What did he want? He knew I was coming here and I’ve barely been gone ten minutes—do you think I should go back home? Is he okay, Annie?”

“I don’t know what to say, Pete…he didn’t seem like his normal self.”

“He was acting odd this morning. He asked me if I’d met up with Jacob, but I told him I hadn’t seen him since the party last night. It feels like he’s checking up on me.”

“He said he didn’t need to talk to you when I asked him though, so I wouldn’t worry,” Nick said.

“I can’t help it. It just feels like when I was a kid and Dad didn’t believe in me, but it’s Mike this time.”

Annie came and gave Pete a hug, mouthing over to Nick, “I’ll kill Jacob when I see him. Why did he have to turn up and cause trouble again? I don’t think Pete could survive more. Not again, after what happened last time...”


	10. Chapter 10

Mike, Micky and Davy went into the club ready to set up. Pete, Vicky, Ronnie and Jacob were at a table having drinks. Mike went up to Pete and Pete pulled him close and gave him a brief kiss on his cheek. Mike noticed the look Jacob gave him. _Yeah you can look, but no touching_ , he thought.

“Hi, Mike,” Vicky said and looked from Jacob to Mike and back again. “You two look a little alike! You may be a little taller, though, Mike, and your eyes are darker too.”

“You don’t own a woolhat, do you, Jacob?” Mike asked snarkily, looking over at Pete to see if he showed any reaction to that comment. _He’s dressed like me, in Triumph T-shirt and jeans, but Pete still pulled me close for a kiss, and he didn’t look too happy about that._

“No, not a fan of hats. The only headgear I have is a helmet for my Ducati Scrambler,” he answered.

“We could go for a ride sometime. It’ll be good to get to know one of Pete’s friends who has a shared interest with me. We’ll have to arrange a time.”

“I’m not sure if I’ll have time for that. With getting ready for college and working, I’ve got a lot on right now. I’ll try and work out something, if that’s okay with you, Pete?” Jacob asked him.

“Yeah, it’s fine with me. You want a drink, Mike? I’ll go get you a Coke.”

Vicky and Ronnie had already gone and now Mike was left alone with Jacob.

“So I saw you at the coffee shop this morning—is it local to you? Mike asked, to see how he’d answer.

“Yeah, I thought it was you I passed as I was leaving. I live just around the block. I was in there catching up with a friend.”

“Do you play any instruments, Jacob?” Mike asked.

“No, I don’t. Pete was gonna teach me the guitar, but he never came back to college after summer. But playing’s not really my bag. I enjoy seeing music live. I was lucky enough to see Pete play in the Village a few times. He seemed happier playing the guitar or banjo—I’d imagine he finds the bass boring with everything he can play? Your band’s really good, though. I enjoyed your set.”

“He doesn’t mind the bass. He plays keyboards and banjo in our set too and he’s teaching Davy to play the bass as well. He’s a good teacher. Pity he didn’t take his music degree further,” Mike said. He wished Pete would hurry up. He needed to get away from this guy. They needed to set up ready to play… _and doesn’t he have a job to do?_

“I’d better get behind the bar. Looks like it’s starting to fill up. Good to talk to you. Catch you later.”

Mike went over to Pete, who was still at the bar chatting to Christine. He took his drink. “You coming to help set everything, Pete?” he asked, Pete following over to the stage.

“Is there something wrong with those two again? They had a row or something? Mike looks like he’s about to explode,” Davy asked Micky as he helped him set up the drums.

“Mike’s just got himself worked up about that friend of Pete’s, the one behind the bar.”

“What? He thinks Pete’s interested in that guy? Is he crazy or what—Pete wouldn’t do that to him.”

“I know that as well as you, but you know Mike, once he gets something into his head… We both need to convince him. We can work on him together.” Micky winked to Davy.

“Come on, you two, quit the talking. We’ve got a set to play—you both ready?” Mike got two nods from them both. “Good,” he replied.

Mike noticed Nick and Claire arrive just before the group were due to play. He beckoned Nick closer to the stage. “When we have our break, I need to have a chat with you, okay?”

Nick said yes and went over to Claire who was at the bar ordering drinks.

The first set went well, and Mike found Nick and Claire at a table. “Good set, man. It’s a while since I’ve played—Pete and I used to play and make up stupid songs together.”

“Do you mind me asking how well either of you know Jacob? I get the impression from Annie that’s she’s not keen on him, but I’m wondering why? Have you any idea why? She told me to ask Pete.”

“Well, he often stayed at our house as our parents were friends and visited us about twice a year. He has a sister too. She’s Annie’s age. I think they keep in touch and get on well. I know Pete and Jacob have had some fall-outs over the years—typical kid, teenage troubles.”

“Annie talked to me yesterday. I can’t say too much, but you’re right: Annie wishes he hadn’t turned up. She thinks you’re better asking Pete about everything…do you think he’d tell you, though?”

“Thanks Claire, I doubt Pete will tell me whats happened, it takes a while to get him to open up about things from his past, I’ll try tonight when we get back home,” Mike said.

Mike found Micky and Davy chatting to a couple of girls. “Either of you any idea where Pete is?”

“He went to see Vicky upstairs about something. Still up there, I think,” Davy answered.

Pete had been upstairs with Vicky but was on his way back and saw Jacob about to go on his break, so he went outside with him. They stood at the back entrance.

“You want a cigarette, Pete?” Jacob held the pack out to him.

“No thanks. I quit a few years back.”

“Okay, so you don’t drink or smoke…anything else you’ve given up? Is it because Mike doesn’t like it? He seems to have changed you. I notice he watches you a lot when you’re around other people. He seems the jealous type, wouldn’t you say?” Jacob stated.

“No, it’s not because of him. Michael drinks. He doesn’t smoke, though. I’m not sure what you mean about him changing me. I’m a different person to what I used to be because Mike’s helped with my confidence. He’s good to talk to. I love him the way he is. I wouldn’t change a thing about him.”

“Does it bother the other two that he seems to take charge? He seems to like things his way. You were always a free spirit, not tied down to anything.”

“He takes charge in the band—he’s better at things like that, like organizing our gigs. The other two are younger and don’t seem to mind. I think they wouldn’t want that hassle.”

“You’re older than him, but you let him tell you what to do, let him treat you like your younger friends.”

“Jacob, please, you don’t know anything about us. I like my life. Why not get to know Mike? You’ll like him. We could all go out together. I’ll get him to meet us after I’ve shown you around some of the places where I go to, the groups I belong too. We can have lunch together.”

“Okay, I’ll do this for you. Sorry for upsetting you. That’s the last thing I want to do. Forgive me?”

“Yeah, I do. Everything’s okay,” Pete said. Jacob put out his cigarette and pulled Pete into a hug, to which Pete hugged back.

Mike came out of the club’s back door and the first thing he saw was Jacob and Pete hugging tightly. Jacob saw him approaching them and quickly moved away from Pete, who had his back to Mike. He stared straight at Mike who walked around so Pete saw him.

“Oh, hi, Michael. Is it time for us to go back on? I’ll come back with you. See you later, Jacob.”

“We’ve got a few minutes. Vicky said you were out here. She mentioned about you covering one of her shifts at the hotel next week, that you’d been up to see her,” Mike mentioned.

“Yeah, she’s got plans she can’t change so I offered to play there instead. You don’t mind, do you?”

“Of course not, Pete. Any chance you get for extra work is good, and you enjoy it too.”

They went back inside to start their second set. The crowd was a little bigger now and really got into their music. Mike kept looking over at the bar, noticing that Jacob was glancing over at Pete a lot, and occasionally staring at him.

_I don’t trust you one little bit. I know you’re up to something and I intend to figure out exactly what it is. Sneaking off with Pete…that hug was for my benefit, wasn’t it? I’m not stupid._

Mike played the set as if on auto pilot, paying as much attention to what Jacob was doing. He saw Nick watching him—was it so obvious what he was doing?

Nick pulled him to one side after they’d finished playing. Pete was busy helping Micky pack up his drums and Davy was out in front chatting to another chick—that guy could pull a chick anywhere.

“What were you up to, Mike? I saw you staring over at Jacob, and I noticed him watching both you and Pete, but I also saw that Pete was watching you all the time. He didn’t look over at Jacob once—doesn’t that tell you something.”

“Okay, Nick. I just sometimes wonder why Pete’s with me. He could do much better. He’s gorgeous and I’m odd looking. I never got together with many chicks, and I feel so lucky to have him.”

“I bet he feels the same as you. He loves you, Mike. I know my brother,” Nick said.

Micky came over to them. “We’re all packed up. Everything’s in the Monkeemobile, and Davy’s going back with a chick, so me and Pete are ready to go. He’s waiting in the car.”

“Okay, I’ll be out with you in a minute, Mick. Let me finish off here. So, Nick, will you be at our gig tomorrow night, or are you heading back home soon?” Mike asked him.

“We’re staying around for the naming ceremony, I think. Mom’s flying out for that, and yeah, we could come tomorrow unless Annie has any other plans. I’ll let you know. Bye, Mike.”

On the way back to the pad, Mike decided to check on how Micky was feeling, to try and take his mind off his own issues going through his head. “You okay with Davy taking off with a chick?”

“It’d be more of a surprise if he didn’t, don’t you think? Why would he change the habit of a lifetime, Mike? But I’m fine. I managed to chat to a few chicks myself. I’m gonna be patient and wait for the right girl to come along. Don’t worry,” he answered.

“Mick, do you mind if we drop you off, and me and Pete take off somewhere? I think we need a bit of time alone. You okay with that?” Mike asked as they pulled up outside the pad.

“Yeah sure. I’m just gonna get a beer and do the usual: late-night movie and some chips. Take all the time you need. Just get things sorted.”

“What d’ya want to do, Pete? You can decide,” Mike asked him.

“I don’t mind honestly. You can surprise me. As long as we’re together, anywhere is good.” Pete smiled and put his hand on Mike’s.

Mike drove for about twenty minutes, briefly stopping off at a late-night diner where he went in and got Cokes and some doughnuts, and they drove down to the beach.

“Better save a few of these for Micky—you know how he loves them. You wanna go for a walk? The beach looks pretty deserted, so we can hold hands or cuddle up close.”

“That’ll be cool, Mike. It’s a nice warm night.” Pulling Mike close, Peter gave him a kiss.

They walked so far and decided to sit down for a while. There was no-one else around, so Mike put his arm around Pete’s waist.

“We’re good, aren’t we, babe? I’m sorry if I’ve been a bit off today. Just had a lot on my mind.”

“Everything’s fine. Why shouldn’t it be? Listen, tomorrow, I’m meeting Jacob early to show him around. We’re gonna get breakfast near his place. Do you fancy coming along? It’d be good for you to get to know him. He’s cool with the idea—you up for it?” Pete asked him.

“I’m not sure. I just feel the guy’s not too keen on me.”

“Well that’s a good reason to get to know him! He’s a decent guy, a good friend—give him a chance. Afterward, you and I can do something. There’s some musicians playing in a park downtown…a bit of a folk charity event. I’d love to go. What do you think? Come with me?”

“Yeah, I’ll go to that with you, but there’s some things I need to do, so maybe another day I’ll get to know Jacob. I can pick you up, though. I’ll meet you for lunch first, then we can go to the park.”

“Thanks, Mike. If you get to the Star diner about twelve, it’s only about a five-minute walk. I’ll even treat you as a thank you. We could maybe take our acoustics and play—anyone’s welcome to join in.”

“Okay then, babe, that’s a date. Sounds good. These doughnuts are good, still warm too.”

“Come here…a little closer, Mike.” Pete went to kiss him, and pushed a bit of the doughnut into his mouth. “Wanna share?” He laughed. “You know, there’s no one else around…fancy joining me in the water?”

“We haven’t got any trunks.”

“We don’t really need any, babe. Come on!” Pete had already taken off his moccasins and socks and was starting to strip off the rest of his clothes. “You up for skinny dipping? I’ll race you into the ocean.”

Mike soon undressed and joined Pete in the water. “Come on, don’t leave me behind! You know I can’t swim as well as you. Pete, where are you?” he shouted

He soon felt himself being pulled under the water, and Pete kissed him before they returned to the top.

“You’re cheeky. Love you though, babe. It’s warmer than I thought. We’ll have to do this more often.”

“What, skinny dip, or take off for late dates?” Pete asked as they sat down on the sand after their swim. “I like this. It clears your mind.”

“Either, as long as we’re together.” Mike started to get dressed, so Pete did the same. “I guess we better get back—Micky’ll be wondering where we are.”

They returned to the pad not much later.

“Hey, Mick, a little treat for you.” Mike threw the bag of doughnuts to him.

“Ooh thanks! Has it been raining? You’re both a bit wet,” Micky asked.

“We went to the beach and went for a swim, but didn’t have any towels. I’m gonna hit the shower before bed, Mike,” Pete said going into the bathroom. “You joining me?”

“In a minute, babe.” He took off his jacket, emptying his pockets “That’s odd. I can’t find my keys. I had them when I left it in the dressing room they always in my inside pocket which is zipped up.”

Pete’s and Micky’s sets were on the coffee table.

“Not like you, Mike, to lose anything,” Micky commented.

“I know…if a set’s missing, we might need to change the locks, and that’s an expense we could do without. Anybody could have got into the dressing room, but why would anyone steal my keys?”


	11. Chapter 11

Mike woke to see Pete beside him. He’d brought him a cup of coffee and was smiling at him. Things had been good when they’d got back in the early hours. They’d showered together and fallen asleep after making love. Things seemed back to normal.

“Are you coming out with me and Jacob this morning, or just gonna meet me for lunch around twelve at the diner?” Pete asked him.

“No, there’s a few things I need to do, but yeah I’ll meet you for lunch. You go show him around places you’ll think he’ll like. Have a good time and I’ll see you soon,” Mike replied.

“No problem. I’m gonna head off and catch a bus. See you later. Bye, Michael.”

Mike got up later, and after breakfast got on with tidying the pad, Micky got up later—he’d fallen asleep on the couch again, and gone to bed just before eight. Mike had also been searching all over for his keys with no luck. He’d looked in their room, the kitchen, living room, closets and even the sundeck.

Davy had spent most of the time since he’d arrived back on the phone, talking to a few chicks, as always trying to avoid any work.

“Well, I’ve looked all over. God knows where my keys could be,” Mike said. “This is just stressing me out. I might go check the beach and the steps.”

“I’m sure they’ll turn up somewhere, Mike. Hey, what time are you supposed to be meeting Pete for lunch? You don’t wanna be late.”

“Twelve o’clock.” Mike looked at his wrist. “Oh, forgot my watch is upstairs. It got wet yesterday and it’s drying out. But I kept an eye on the wall clock and I’m okay for time, but yeah, it’s coming up to midday, so I better go.”

“That clock’s wrong, Mike—it’s nearly one o’clock.” Davy showed him his watch. “You better hurry!”

“What? That’s impossible! No one’s been messing with the clock, have they? Today’s just going from bad to worse! I’ll see you both later.”

He grabbed the keys and ran out to the Monkeemobile. At least that started straight away. He just hoped he didn’t get held up in traffic.

Meanwhile, at the diner, Pete and Jacob had already finished their lunch, and were still waiting for Mike. Pete had been watching the clock on the wall and tried calling the pad a few times, but the line was always busy.

“Looks like he forgot about you, or he had something more important to do. Hey, I’ll go with you instead. I don’t mind. I won’t let you down. It starts at one, doesn’t it? If we set off now, you won’t miss anything. Come on,” Jacob said.

They started to leave. Pete kept looking around, hoping Mike would get there soon.

“It’s not like him to forget. He’s normally really organized, good with meetings and things. Yeah, we better go. I think he knows where the park is, so he’ll turn up soon, I guess.”

“Pete, you’re too easy going. I’d be fuming if a partner of mine was about an hour late. It’s not good…is folk music really his thing, do you think? I mean, what have you two got in common, apart from being in the same band? I think you’re both so different.”

“Give him a chance. You don’t know him like I do, Jacob.”

“I personally think you’re wasting your time with him. You could do so much better. He obviously had something better to do. He’s not the only guy out there. Look for someone else, Pete.”

“Anything could have happened—he could be stuck in traffic, or maybe every light was on red,” Pete said. “He could even have had an accident on the way here.” He started to get worried.

They found an area to sit on the floor near the makeshift stage. Pete thought it would be a good place for Mike to notice them when he arrived.

“Pete, why are you panicking? Mike’s a grown man, and he probably wouldn’t have enjoyed this kind of music anyway. You are allowed to have fun and enjoy yourself without him.” Jacob sighed.

“Okay, I’ll try my best to have a good time.”

“You need to let him know when you see him that’s he’s upset you…or even maybe show him that it didn’t bother you at all that he couldn’t be bothered to show up, or get here on time.”

“I’m not like that, Jacob, and you know that,” Pete replied.

“You need to toughen up. You’re entitled to be mad with him—he’s let you down, but at least I was here so you’re not on your own.”

“Thanks for this. You didn’t have to come with me, though. I don’t mind doing things on my own.”

“I hope you do say something about him letting you down. If you don’t, I will when I see him.”

Jacob shook his head as Pete checked his watch and look around them once again, checking for any sign of Mike arriving. As he turned back to watch the band on the stage, Mike walked up behind them. He put his hand on Pete’s shoulder, then sat down beside him.

“Hey, Pete, I’m sorry I’m so late. I got so busy doing something that I completely lost track of the time. No, not exactly that—the downstairs clock was wrong, I mean. And I left my watch upstairs. Hello, Jacob,” he said. “I’ll make it up to you, Pete.”

Pete just smiled back at him. “I thought you’d had an accident. I was worried, Michael.”

“You should have called to remind me, and I’d have been here quicker,” Mike answered.

“I tried a few times, but every time I rang the line was busy. Jacob was there—he saw me try.”

“Yeah, he tried three times. A little late maybe is understandable, but you’re nearly ninety minutes late, and Pete’s been panicking,” Jacob said to Mike.

“Davy’s been hogging the phone since he got home. I’m really sorry, Pete.”

Mike wasn’t happy with Jacob’s comment to him. Then he noticed Jacob was playing with a set of keys out of his pocket, and that the keyring on them looked familiar. “Hey, they look like my keys! I’ve been looking all over for them, and you had them all along? Hand them back to me, Jacob.” Mike stared straight at him.

“Pardon? These aren’t your keys! What makes you think that?” Jacob answered him abruptly.

“Are you sure? My set has a keyring on them just like that one there. Pete gave it to me. Yeah, looks exactly like mine—where did you get them?”

“Here, look at them. It’s my keys to my bike and apartment, and, by the way, Pete gave me this keyring too. He had one as well,” Jacob said, shaking his head.

“I’m sorry, Jacob. Mistakes happen.”

Jacob just stared back and looked a little too smug for Mike’s liking. Pete hadn’t noticed—he was too busy watching a few guys playing banjos on the stage.

 _This guy is a piece of work…smart too, just not in a good way. But Pete’s too nice to see it. Is it some north-eastern thing? He’s very sneaky as well. What’s his problem? I hope he leaves us alone soon. Go on, take off,_ Mike thought.

“That’s okay. They’re good,” Jacob said to Pete. “Not as good as you though. Shame you can’t get up there and play, show them how it’s done?”

“We could maybe…did you bring the acoustics, Mike?” Pete answered.

“I was in such a rush to get here, I forgot to bring them with me. Sorry, Pete. You don’t mind, do you?”

“No, it’s okay.” Pete went back to watching the duo playing.

“It will have to be, won’t it? I can’t believe Pete told me how you’re normally so organized, that you sort out everything for the band, gigs, contracts and all.” Jacob said to Mike.

“I’m just having a bad day, okay? Things don’t normally go this bad.” God, this guy knew exactly which buttons to press, trying to make Mike look bad to Pete.

“I’m surprised you want to hear folk music—with you being from the south, I’d imagine you prefer country music. Southerners live a sheltered life,” Jacob said to Mike.

“I like all kinds of music, country as well. Have you got a problem with me?” Mike asked.

“I thought it was the other way around! You’re the one who accused me of having your keys! That’s so dumb. I’m trying to get on with you.”

“Guys, please! Can you try and not have a go at each other? Michael, I try my best to get along with any of your friends you introduce to me, even though it’s not been many. Is it because we’re a couple? Would it bother some of them, and you’d rather that they don’t know about us?” Pete asked.

“Hey, I’m trying my best, Pete. Might be best if I go, leave you two on your own to sort things out?” Jacob asked.

 _“_ Thanks. That’d be good. Bye, Jacob, see you tonight,” Mike answered. _Finally he gets the message. What an asshole. Wish he’d never showed up here._

Jacob gave Pete a hug, staring straight at Mike. “I’m gonna get off, Pete. I’ll see you tonight.”

“Pete, I’ll introduce to any of my friends we meet, but I guess some might not take it very well. I do have to be careful around them. I’m sorry,” Mike said.

“Okay, but you’ve yet to tell your family about us either, even your mom. Is it because of how my dad took the news? Will they be ashamed of you—is that why? You’re worried about them wanting nothing to do with you?” Pete asked, looking sad.

“No, it’s just…I don’t know… Yeah, they wouldn’t take the news well. Most of your family have taken it better than I thought, but my folks aren’t like yours, Pete.”

“Are you ashamed of me? You being the tough Texan who takes on anyone, then there’s me. I get upset, worked up over things, cry a lot… I’m too soft—not the type of partner they’d want for you?”

“No way, Pete. I wouldn’t have you any other way, babe. You know that. I love you.”

“I’m starting to have some doubts, though, Michael… Like you said when we were away, are we really too different to each other to make this, what we’ve got between us, last?”

“It’s Jacob, isn’t it? He’s confusing you—take no notice of him,” Mike said.

“Michael, I don’t wanna talk about it. Let’s just listen to the music. That’s what I’m here for. Let’s finish here and then go home. We’re rehearsing today, aren’t we?”

“Yeah, I was hoping to, if that’s okay with you? There’s a few songs I want to change.”

“I’m fine with whatever you wanna do for the band. You know best, Michael.”

The rest of the concert, nothing was said between either of them. The atmosphere was awkward and uncomfortable. Things seemed to be going wrong over the past few days. _Ever since Jacob turned up on the scene, Pete seems like a different person. Jacob’s putting ridiculous thoughts into his head, but why? Is he after Pete? How close were him and Pete in the past? I need to ask the other two how he’s being with them._

The walk back to the car, and the drive home, were in silence too. It was longer too with having to stop at red lights. Mike wanted to talk to Pete, but didn’t know what to say, or how to start. They got back to the pad and Pete got out of the car and walked indoors, not waiting for Mike.

Micky was on the couch watching TV and Davy was reading a magazine at the table.

 _“_ Hey, guys, did you see where Pete went?” he asked them.

“Went straight into your room. I’m surprised you didn’t you hear the door slam. I guess he wasn’t happy that you were late meeting him,” Micky replied.

“He was okay, but Jacob stayed with him… I’m sure that guy’s trying to turn him against me. What do you two think about him? Do you think I could be right?”

“He seems okay to me, a friendly kind of guy,” Davy said.

“I haven’t got any problems with him, Mike. You just sound a little paranoid. You not feeling too good today? I know you were getting stressed earlier,” Micky asked him.

***

The rehearsal went well. The guys had dinner, then changed, packed up the Monkeemobile and set off to the club on the Strip. The atmosphere was still a little tense between Pete and Mike, which the younger two couldn’t help noticing. Nick turned up on his own before they started their first set, and Micky shouted him over.

“Hey, Nick, can you try and talk to those two? We aren’t sure what to do. They both seem in a bad mood with each other and Mike thinks it’s all to do with Jacob.”

“He was questioning me about Jacob last night, but I couldn’t really help him. I know from Annie something happened in the past, but she won’t say anything to me or Mike and I can’t see Pete telling him. She told Mike to ask Pete. Jacob has rarely spoken to me before.”

Ronnie came over to Davy and Micky who were setting up the drumkit. “Hi, did any of you lose a set of keys? I found these on the floor in the dressing room after you left last night.”

“Mike, come over here,” Micky shouted. “Look what Ronnie found—are these the keys you lost last night?”

“Yeah, these are mine. So they’ve been here all night,” Mike was saying as Pete came beside him.

“Are you gonna apologize to Jacob? You practically accused him of taking them. He’s working behind the bar tonight. I’ll go tell him you wanna talk to him,” Pete said.

“It’s okay, Pete. You don’t need to. I’ll talk to him after we’ve finished the first set.”

After a reasonable first set, Mike went to find and talk to Jacob.

“Hi. I need to talk to you, apologise for this afternoon. Ronnie’s give me my keys back—she found them in the dressing room. So I just want to say I’m sorry for saying what I did.”

Micky came and joined them.

“Thanks, as I said, I’d not seen your keys at all, so you didn’t need to have a go at me like you did. I have no idea what your problem is. Are you jealous of my friendship with Pete? I gather you want him all to yourself. He won’t say anything about it, but I think you’re quite possessive over him.” Jacob then walked away, not giving Mike a chance to answer.

Micky stared at Mike. “What on earth did you do? You got him in a mood.”

The second set didn’t seem to go too well, Mike thought, but the crowd didn’t seem to notice. Jacob kept staring at him while he was serving, and didn’t look too happy.

Davy came up to Mike. “I think you and Pete need to sort things out. Micky and I can sense something’s bothering you. He told me what happened with Jacob—you’re only gonna upset Pete more. I know he wants you both to be friends.”

“Okay, I’ll talk to Pete later.” He shouted Pete over

“What do you want, Michael? Before you say anything, I’m going out with Jacob tomorrow. He’s going to a meeting of one of my groups. He’s thinking of joining to help us—that okay with you?”

“Sure, Pete, you don’t need to ask my permission. You can do what you want. I’ll talk to you later.”

They packed up the car and set off back to the pad. Mike didn’t say anything to Pete, who was just staring out of the window. It seemed that he been trying to avoid him most of the night. They got inside and Mike went up to him in the kitchen.

“Pete, what’s up? I think we need to talk. I’ve got a feeling you’re not happy with me…what’s happened? What’s bothering you?”

“You really need to ask me, Michael? I’m not that stupid. I was talking to Jacob, and he’s made me think about a few things. I really wanted you both to get on.”

“I tried, Pete, but he just doesn’t seem to like me. He tries to rile me.”

“He told me he’s tried his best with you. He’s a decent person—he doesn’t lie, Michael. I’ve known him a long time, but I’m not gonna avoid him just because you don’t like him, okay?”

“So you don’t believe me. We both promised to be honest with each other. I am telling you the truth. Listen, let’s go to our room and sort things out.”

“I don’t want to talk to you to right now. In fact, I’m not sure I even want to be around you. I’ll get my things and sleep in Annie’s room—give you chance to think of how you can change your attitude.”

Mike stared at Pete in shock. “Babe, please.”

“No, don’t ‘babe, please’ me. You’re on your own tonight.”


	12. Chapter 12

Mike had had a restless night with so much going through his head, and Pete deciding to sleep in the spare room hadn’t put him in the best of moods. How was he gonna get through today? He felt like staying in bed all day but knew that wasn’t possible. They were supposed to be going to see a club manager about a possible gig. He looked at the ring on his finger, the ring he’d exchanged with Pete when they’d committed themselves to each other.

Only a few days ago, things had been so good between them. The others had arranged the surprise party for both of them, Micky had toasted them—they’d even had champagne courtesy of Mrs. Straus, and both he and Pete had given speeches thanking their friends and family for their help, support and understanding of their relationship. They’d spoken of their hopes and dreams for their future together, and Micky had taken photos which he was due to collect soon. They’d both been so happy.

_If Jacob hadn’t turned up, Pete would be here beside me where he belongs, not sleeping in a different room, putting some distance between us. He’s turning Pete against me, causing conflict between us, making me look like the bad guy._

Outside in the living room, Pete was already up. He’d had breakfast and Jacob had arrived. They were both having a cup of tea and getting ready to go out.

“Where’s Mike?” Jacob asked as he looked around the pad.

“Still in bed, I think. I slept in the spare room last night, and I don’t feel like talking to him yet.”

“So things aren’t too good between you now? I’m sorry if any of it’s my fault, but I have been trying my best to get to know him for your sake, but he seemed to take an instant dislike to me.”

“I know you have, Jacob. It’s odd because Micky and Davy seem to like and get on with you. I really don’t know what Mike’s problem is,” Pete said.

“Hi, Jacob,” Micky said as he walked down the spiral staircase. “How you doing? Morning, Pete.”

“I’m fine, Micky. Pete and I are gonna meet some of his friends in the groups he’s part of. It should be nice to get to know more people around the area, and Pete and I have quite a few interests in common…always have.”

“It’s good to have Jacob around. Mick, I appreciate you making an effort with him, unlike Mike.”

“I think Davy might be turning up at the meeting. He mentioned something about seeing Julie, the girl from the other day he was trying to impress.” Micky laughed.

“That’s not a problem, Mick. I’m just gonna get my notebook from the car, Jacob.”

As Pete walked out of the front door, Mike came out of the bedroom. Going straight to the kitchen, he didn’t see Jacob was there. He went to pour a cup of coffee.

“Morning, Mick, you want a coffee?” he asked.

“Morning, Mike. Got one already, thanks. Didn’t you notice Jacob’s here?”

“Oh, mm…morning, Jacob,” Mike said, looking over at him on the couch.

“Morning, Mike, how are you doing? Don’t worry—Pete and I will be going out soon,” he replied.

“I’ve had better days. Got a headache,” Mike answered, thinking he’d got an even bigger pain in the ass, thanks to Jacob. No wonder he looked so smug. _I’d love to knock that smile off your face, Jacob._

Pete came back inside and looked over at Mike but didn’t say anything, focusing on Jacob instead. “Are you ready? I’ll just get my jacket.”

“I’ll get mine too.” Jacob went to grab it and it fell from the back of the couch. Mike, walking to the bandstand, picked it up and passed it to him. “Thanks,” Jacob said.

“See you later, Micky. I’m not sure what time I’ll be back—I might call in to see Annie,” Pete said.

After Pete and Jacob had left, Mike put down his guitar and came over to Micky.

“There. I tried to be nice to him, but it’s hard. He gives me weird, smug looks when none of you are looking. He’s not stupid. I think he’s after Pete, but Nick told he’s into chicks.”

“I just think you’re getting paranoid. I know things are awkward between you and Pete, but I don’t think Jacob’s into Pete that way. I’ve seen him checking out girls,” Micky said.

“Nah, I don’t think he’s queer either. He doesn’t look the type,” Davy said as he joined them.

“Well, why’s he trying to cause problems between us? He must have a reason, and you can’t tell just by looking at someone. I’m into chicks too. I’ve had girlfriends—did you ever think I was into guys?”

“I saw the way you looked at Pete, how you treated him…it was different to how you are with Davy or me. I saw it in your eyes. Jacob and Pete are just friends, Mike,” Micky stated.

“Annie knows something. I’m gonna go around there later and try to talk to her again.”

A horn suddenly sounded outside and Davy opened the door. “That’s Julie for me. I think we’re gonna be at the same meeting as Pete and Jacob. You want me to keep any eye on them, Mike? But I really think you’ve got nothing to worry about. Just calm down and relax. Bye, guys.”

***

Davy and Julie arrived at the meeting at the café and found Pete and Jacob with a group of people, including Julie’s friend, Jade, and talking about the local mayor’s office wanting to close and knock down a community center to build a new parking lot. They were arranging times to start protesting.

Julie came over and said hello to Pete. “Hey, who’s your friend—it’s not your partner, is it?”

“No, he isn’t. Jacob’s just a friend I’ve known for years. Michael isn’t into things like this. He’s never come to any of our meetings here,” Pete replied.

“Well you think he’d come help us at the protest? We need all the people we can get,” Jade said.

“I’d rather not ask him…things aren’t too good between us right now,” Pete answered.

“I’ve no idea what’s up with him. He’s in an odd mood,” Davy said to Pete.

“I think that’s my fault, Davy. I’ve tried the best I can to get to know and get on with him, but he just doesn’t seem to want to make an effort to get to know me. I know it’s stressing Pete out, but what else can I do to change things?” Jacob asked Davy.

“Micky and I are doing the best we can to help. I’m sure he’ll cone round eventually. He seems to have something on his mind though right now.”

“Don’t worry about it. Davy, you smoke? Do you wanna go outside for a cigarette?”

“Sure. Be out with you in a minute, Jacob.”

Outside a few minutes later, Davy took a cigarette off Jacob.

“I hope you don’t mind me asking. I didn’t want to talk in front of Pete, but what do you think is the problem? Is he jealous of me?” Jacob asked. He searched in his jacket pockets. “You got a lighter, Davy? I can’t find mine—it was in my pocket this morning.”

“Here you go. I’ve got one.” Davy passed it over to Jacob.

“What can I say? I’m not sure. He and Pete are both very different in quite a few ways, but seem to work well together. Pete got upset a while back when a chick was after Mike. Mike seems to look after Pete more than he does with me or Micky, but it doesn’t bother us,” Davy said.

“Well, I’ll try my best with him for Pete’s sake. If you and Micky can help me out, I’d be grateful.”

“Sure Jacob, no problem. I’ll have a word with Micky later.”

When the meeting was over, Davy and Julie went on a date to the movies, Pete headed off to the hotel for his piano gig and Jacob went home.

***

Back at the pad, Micky and Mike had been working on a song most of the afternoon. Things had gone well and Mike’s mood had improved, with playing his guitar helping.

“I’ve decided I’ll speak to Annie later. Pete’s playing at the hotel this afternoon and I’m gonna go pick him up and maybe have something to eat out, so we can try have a chat. I don’t want another night like last night. I’ll see you later. Wish me luck.”

“I’m sure everything will be fine. I reckon Pete will be in a much better mood by now. Just be careful and tell him you’ll do your best to get to know Jacob—it means a lot to him,” Micky advised.

***

It didn’t take him long to get to the hotel, and he parked the Monkeemobile in the front parking lot, so he could see the front entrance and Pete would be able to see the car too.

Mike was keeping a look-out for Pete leaving. His shift would have finished, but he left a suit there, so would be getting changed before he left. Mike was surprised to see Jacob walk out of the front doors and head to the side carpark. Mike decided to wait at the door for Pete.

Pete came out about five minutes later and was about to turn left when he suddenly saw Mike. “Michael, what are you doing here?” Pete asked in surprise.

“I thought I’d come pick you up, surprise you and take you for something to eat.” Pete was looking around and over the road. “Anything the matter?”

“No, nothing’s wrong. I’m just looking over there. I was gonna catch the bus home,” Pete answered.

“Are you sure? Is someone else here to give you a lift?”

“What on earth are you on about, Michael? I didn’t expect you to be here. Look, I’ve got the bus fare in my pocket—that’s how I was getting home.”

“You really sure, Pete, because I just saw Jacob leave a few minutes before you came out! If I hadn’t been here, he’d be picking you up, wouldn’t he?” Mike shouted at Pete.

“No…that’s not true…I haven’t seen Jacob since we left the meeting. You can ask Davy—he left at the same time. Jacob was going home. He told me he had a shift this afternoon.”

“Pete, I’m not lying—I saw him, and if you hadn’t seen me, you were about to go off in the same direction as he left! You were gonna go with him!”

“I think it best you don’t say another word about this. What reason do I have to lie to you about this? You’re seeing things that aren’t there! I’ll come home with you, but I don’t want to go have dinner with you. I’ll eat something back at the pad,” Pete said quite calmly.

 _What can I say? This day’s going from bad to worse, Pete lying to me, trying to convince me he’s not…_ “It might be better if we go somewhere to talk things over first. Is that okay with you?” Mike asked.

Pete followed Mike to the car. “Yes, but I think you and Jacob need to get together, and you can sort out your problems that you have with him. Please, Michael, give him a chance. He’s a good friend to me, a decent guy.”

“Okay, Pete, I’ll try my best for you. Can we forget this happened? I just what to get things back to normal between us,” Mike asked.

“Okay, we’ll see how things go.” Pete put his hand on Mike’s and squeezed it. “I’m sorry, Michael.”

Mike drove the car for about ten minutes and stationed near the beach. “This okay?”

Pete nodded, noticing hardly anyone was around. It was quiet and calm.

“I think we need sometime on our own, with no interruptions from anyone. We need to talk,” Mike said. This time he took Pete’s hand, brought it close to him and kissed his fingers. “You know I love you, Pete, don’t you, but I’m worried how things are going.”

“I love you too, Michael. I understand, but what can we do to improve things? I want things back to normal. I don’t like us arguing. What can I do? And what about you.”

“I said I’ll make more of an effort with Jacob, but things seemed to have changed since he came onto the scene. I feel he’s coming between us.”

“Jacob’s just a friend to me, nothing else, okay?” Pete said.

“I feel awkward around him. I feel you prefer his company to mine. Could we maybe just have a day just me and you? Maybe tomorrow…go for a long drive and I’ll make a picnic? I’m sure Micky and Davy won’t mind. How about it?”

“It’s a nice idea but I’ve got a meeting about the protest at three. If you can drop me off at that afterward, we can go out early after breakfast, so yes, thanks, Michael.”

“Okay that’s a date then. I’ll tell the others when we get back.”

Pete smiled at him.

 _I love that smile, when he shows his dimple. Thanks for making me so happy. Things are finally going well for me._ Mike smiled back at Pete and held his hand again. “Can I kiss you?” he asked.

“You don’t need to ask me that—just kiss me, Michael.” Pete didn’t give him a chance, moving over and kissing him first.

“This can be our make-out point.” Mike laughed. “I love you, Peter.”

“I know. You tell me a lot. Love you two. We’re a right pair.”

Mike started the car and they drove home, music playing on the radio. Both of them seemed happy. It was a short journey and they hit no red lights. They were soon back at the pad, and Pete went in first followed by Mike.

Davy and Micky were at the table playing cards and drinking beer with Nick. “Hey, guys, you both look in a better mood. Come on over—we’ve got booze. Nick brought some,” Micky said.

Mike took a bottle of beer from their pack and got Pete a cone from the ice box, handing it over to him.

“Hey, Pete, I’m gonna be joining you at the protest tomorrow afternoon,” Davy said.

“The things you do just to have a date with a chick, and you’ve hardly been with her on her own, apart from the movie date.” Micky laughed. “Nick’s stopping over tonight too.”

“We weren’t on our own. Her friend Jade turned up with her boyfriend,” Davy replied.

Pete and Mike went over to the couch and Pete noticed something on the floor near the bandstand.

“Anyone lost a lighter? Oh, no…I recognize this. It’s Jacob’s. I gave it to him for Christmas—look, I had it engraved…JNP. He got me one with my initials as well. I don’t know why we did that. But what’s it doing here?”

“Hey, Jacob said he couldn’t find his lighter, when we went out for a cigarette. He was here this morning, wasn’t he?” Davy recalled.

“You picked his Jacket up, Mike didn’t you?” Mickey said to Mike.

He looked around at the others.

“I don’t remember.” Mike said. Looking at them all looking at him.

After a final look at the others Peter spoke. “You didn’t take this from him, did you, Michael, in revenge because you thought he took your keys?”

Now nobody was looking at him, as though they were avoiding a stranger. 

.


	13. Chapter 13

Mike had been very careful when he’d gone to bed. He could sense Pete was still awake and he could tell he’d been crying. He knew Pete too well, and it was frustrating not being able to pull him close into a hug to calm him down and reassure him. It was hard but Mike resisted.

Pete had gone to bed early in a bad mood and asked Mike not to bother or wake him when he came into their room. Mike would have slept in the spare room had Nick not been staying over after having a little too much to drink. Mike had only had a few beers, not wanting to go to bed drunk.

He was surprised to wake up with Pete snuggled behind him with his arm draped over his waist. It made him not want to move, having no idea how Pete would react when he woke up. He decided to stay where he was and enjoy the close contact between them, making the most of it until Pete woke up. There was nothing too important to get up for.

Mike had fallen back asleep when Pete woke not much later. He moved his arm and sat up, looking down at Mike beside him. Last night he’d been angry with him. He knew he still loved Mike, but could he forgive him? Things had been up and down between them lately.

He got dressed and went into the kitchen to make some tea. A few minutes later, Nick came out of Annie’s old room. “Morning, Pete. Are you feeling a bit calmer now?”

“I’m fine, Nick, but still a little confused about how I feel. I don’t know what to think anymore.”

“There could be a good reason the lighter was here—could be a mistake,” Nick said.

“Thing is, Michael thought Jacob took his keys the other day, and now we find something of Jacob’s here…is it too much of a coincidence? Mike’s been acting odd lately,” Pete replied.

“Just listen to what he has to say. Give him a chance to explain.”

“What time are you going home? I might come with you. I want to see Annie about something, and I’m going to a protest with my group this afternoon. Jacob’s picking me up later.”

“Don’t you want to talk to Mike when he gets up?” Nick asked.

“No, I’m not sure what I would say to him. I’m not happy with what he’s done, so it’s probably best to be gone before he gets up,” Pete replied.

“You need to give him a chance to explain. Remember Jacob is far from perfect himself—think about what happened before, Pete.”

“Have you been talking to Annie? She had no right to say anything to you, and things are good now. That was years ago, so forget about it,” Pete replied. “You ready to go?”

Mike came out of the bedroom just as the front door closed behind Pete and Nick. Mike was glad he’d not had to face them, as he reckoned they would have both probably be ignoring him. He decided to go for a drive. They needed a few groceries, and a bit of time away would clear his head. He wrote a note for the others, explaining where he’d gone. 

Micky and Davy got up at the same time to an empty house. Finding Mike’s note, Micky read it and passed it over to Davy.

“How do you think things are gonna be between Mike and Pete? I’m hoping everything’s not gonna be too awkward for us all,” Davy asked Micky.

“I don’t know…they were both quiet after the incident last night, and they’ve both took taken off. I really hope they sort things out. Mike’s stressed and Pete’s quiet, ignoring him,” Micky answered.

“Do you think Mike had anything to do with the lighter turning up here?”

“I don’t know. Normally I’d say no, but he’s been acting odd lately.” 

“I think we need to interfere again. I’ll work on Pete. I’m gonna be at the protest with him later. You mind working on Mike, try cheering him up?” Davy suggested.

Peter and Nick were now at the girls’ house. Nick had pre-warned Annie about how things had been last night at the pad. She told him she’d try and talk to Pete. Christine and Coco were out, and Claire wanted to go shopping with Nick, and they were having lunch with Mrs. Straus at the hotel.

Annie decided to speak to Pete after they’d left. “Nick says you and Mike are having problems, and they only really started since Jacob turned up.”

“So, looks like you’re taking Michaels side then? He’s not giving Jacob a chance. Jacob’s done his best to get to know Michael. I think he’s jealous, Jacob says he’s too controlling.”

“I’m sure he knows you’re only friends…that’s all you are, I hope, Peter?” she asked him.

“Of course that’s all. I do still love Michael, but I just don’t like how he’s being at the moment. I think he wants me to stay away from Jacob, but he’s new to town, and I’m just helping him.”

“Peter just be careful around him—remember what happened before. You don’t want that again.”

“It’s okay. I know what I’m doing this time. I’m not that stupid kid anymore, Annie. Don’t worry—I promise I’m okay. Thanks, though.”

“I can’t help it, Peter. It’s part of the job of being your sister. I worry about all my brothers, even though you’re older. I’ll be even worse with my kids, I imagine.” She laughed saying that.

“I guess they can come to me when you’re being tough on them. I feel sorry for them already.”

“Well I hope you’ll always be there for them. I know you will. They will need some males in their life, and I think the other guys will be good. That’s why I’ve chose them as their guide-parents.”

“The twins will probably have to watch over Micky and Davy though. It might help them grow up.”

“By the way, I haven’t been talking to Mike about Jacob. When he asked me about him, I told him that he needs to ask you anything he wanted to know. I thought that was best.”

“Thanks, Annie. Sorry for shouting at you. Give me a hug, please? I need one,” he asked her.

“No worries, Peter. I’m here for you anytime, for whatever you need.”

“I think I’ll go home and try to talk to Mike. I’ll go see the twins and set off.”

Pete got back to the pad not much later. Micky and Davy were in the living room chatting. Pete said hi to them and went to check if Mike was in their room, but it was empty.

“Either of you know where Mike is?” Pete asked the others when he came back out.

“Not sure. He left a note to say he was going for a drive and to get some groceries. He’d gone by the time we both got up,” Micky answered him.

“No problem. I wanted to talk to him, but it can wait until later.”

“You are gonna try and sort out what happened last night, aren’t you? It’s not good living with you two with how things are at the moment, Pete,” Davy stated to him.

“I’ll do what I want in my own time. Please drop it. I’ve already had Annie telling me what to do.”

“Pete, try not to get worked up about it. Neither of us are mad at you, but it’s not cool living with you two not getting on right now. You gotta understand how we feel when we’re stuck in the middle,” Micky said.

“Sorry, guys. I’ll try—”

Pete stopped talking as Mike came through the front door. He put the groceries down on the table and went to the kitchen sink. He had oil on his hands, and quite a bad cut on one of them. Pete went over to him, concerned.

“What have you done to your hand? Here let me see to it for you,” he said to Mike. “What’s with all the oil too? Something wrong with the car?”

“No, nothing wrong with ours, but I helped a chick out with her car outside the store. She couldn’t get it to start, so I took a look and got it going, but got my hand stuck and I guess I cut it on something. It doesn’t look too bad now my hands are cleaner.”

“You sit down, and I’ll clean it up for you, Michael.” Peter wiped Mike’s hands, put on some antiseptic and applied a Band-Aid. “There. It wasn’t too deep. All done for you.” Pete smiled at Mike and held his hand.

“You didn’t need to see to it, but thanks. Pete, can we maybe talk? Sort a few things out, please?”

“Yeah, okay. Annie shouted at me and told me we need to sort things out.”

“She told me I’d got to talk to you too. Do you wanna go down the beach, or go for a drive maybe? Just get out of here for a while?” Mike asked.

“Now’s not good—Jacob’s coming soon to take me to the protest.”

_I just wish he’d stop bringing Jacob up. It gets in the way every time. I feel things aren’t gonna improve between us…what can I do?_

The phone rang and Davy picked it up. He’d been waiting by it for Julie to call. “Oh hello…I’ll just get him for you…Pete, it’s Jacob, but don’t talk for too long—I’m expecting a call.”

“Okay, Davy. Hi, Jacob. How are you? What time are you gonna get here…what…oh my god…how did that happen…I can’t believe someone would do that. I hope you can get it fixed. See you later.”

Pete put the phone down, and it rang straight away for Davy. Pete passed it him and went to Mike. “That was Jacob. He can’t come collect me—someone’s messed about with the engine on his motorbike and it won’t start. He needs to get someone to look at it. You know a bit about bikes, don’t you, Mike? Could you maybe have a look at it for him?”

“I’m not sure, Pete…but I could give you a ride to the protest, though, if you want?”

Peter paused and looked hard at Mike. “Mike…where else have you been? It’s a bit odd how you came home with oil over your hands and a cut, and you know how to fix bikes…so I guess you’d know what to do to stop them working as well.”

“I really hope you’re not thinking what I think you’re thinking. I wouldn’t do anything like that, and I don’t know where the guy lives or where he keeps his bike.”

“I can’t help it! You said you want me to spend less time with him, this happens, and then you offer to take me, take his place…do you blame me thinking you messed with his bike, Michael?”

“Pete, I helped a chick! I’ve been nowhere near the Strip. Please believe me.”

Pete stormed off into the bedroom, and Mike stared at the other two who were looking at him.

“Don’t you two believe me either? Guys, I wouldn’t wreck anyone’s bike.”

“I can understand how Pete could think it, though. I’m sorry, Mike,” Davy said.

Mike decided to go and check on Pete in their room so he could do his best to convince him he was telling the truth. He found Pete packing some clothes into his duffel bag, and Pete stared back at Mike, an angry look on his face.

“What you doing, Pete?”

“Packing a bag, what does it look like to you, Michael? I’m not sure where I’m going but I don’t want to be around you right now. I think we need some space between us, so don’t try and stop me.”

“Please, no, Pete—don’t go. I didn’t touch Jacob’s bike! If you want, I’ll go take a look at it for him, see if I can fix it? Pete, sleep in the spare room again but just don’t leave me.”

“Sorry, but it’s really for the best. We both have a lot of thinking to do.”

Outside in the living room, Micky and Davy were worried. They’d never seen Pete like this before—neither he nor Mike were acting like their normal selves.

“Okay then, Mick, you got any idea what we can do to help them now?” Davy asked.

“I’ll grab Mike, get him out of the room and talk to him. You work your best on Pete, see what’s up with him…even though I can imagine,” Micky suggested.

“Okay then. Good luck to you. I think we’ll both need plenty of it,” Davy replied.

Micky knocked on their bedroom door. “Mike, you got a minute for a chat? Can you come out to the sundeck with me?” He nudged Davy into the room when Mike came out.

“Pete, what are you doing?” he asked.

“Same answer I gave Michael—packing some clothes. I’m not coming back today after the protest, Davy. I’m confused and I just need to get away for a while.”

“You really think Mike messed with Jacob’s bike? I don’t think he’d do anything like that. It could have been anyone! If you didn’t have this double bed, I’d swap with Mike, or you go stay in Annie’s old room… Where will you go? Nick’s at Annie’s, so I doubt they’ve got room.”

“Davy, please. I need to get away, clear my head. I don’t know what to think anymore, I’m sorry.”

“You’ve no reason to be sorry. I’m coming to the protest. Julie’s giving me a ride, so why don’t you go with us? We can drop you off where you want later.”

Meanwhile, outside on the sundeck, Micky was trying to calm Mike down.

“Why won’t he believe me? I really have no idea where Jacob’s place is! I promised I wouldn’t lie to him. Have I lost him, Mick? It sure feels like it—he’s in our room packing a bag to leave!”

“We’ll help you, Mike. Don’t worry. Davy’s talking to Pete—he’ll try stop him going.” 

Davy came out to them a few minutes later. “Julie’s here now. Pete’s getting a lift with us and I’m sorry, Mike, but I couldn’t convince him to stay.”

Pete came out to say bye. “I’ll see you both tomorrow at the gig. Michael, sorry I think it’s best for now if we have a break from each other. I might be back soon, but right now I don’t know just when that will be.”


	14. Chapter 14

Davy had come back alone. He told Mike he didn’t know where Pete had gone to stay as he’d got a ride afterward with another of his friends. He also told him that Jacob hadn’t turned up either. Mike was going to ring around and ask some of their friends if Pete was with them but decided against it. The only person he did call was Annie, who confirmed what he thought, that Pete wasn’t at her place and hadn’t even contacted her about staying there.

 _I bet he’s gone to Jacob. If only I knew where he lived, I’d go there and give him a piece if my mind_. _Has Pete got his phone number anywhere?_

Mike went to bed early. The other two tried their best to persuade him to stay up and watch a late movie with them, but he refused, claiming he was tired.

He hadn’t been up too long the next morning when the phone rang. He was surprised to hear Jacob’s voice on the line. “Is Pete there? Can you get him for me?” he asked.

“He ain’t here. I thought you’d already know that. I’m surprised he didn’t stay the night at your place.”

“No, not seen or heard from him since I called yesterday. I was calling because I wanted to know if he wanted to hang out today. I got my bike fixed. It was a couple of local kids—they messed with a neighbor’s car too. He had his tyres slashed.”

“Well, sorry, but I don’t know where he is, only that he’s not staying with Annie, so I can’t help you.”

“Okay then. I’ll guess I’ll catch up with him tonight at your gig,” Jacob answered and hung up.

Micky came down the stairs as Mike was putting the phone down. “That wasn’t Pete, was it?”

“No, it wasn’t. I doubt he’ll be calling in case I answer. It was Jacob asking for Pete, so that means he didn’t go and spend the night at his place. So that’s a good thing…unless he was lying.”

“Lying about what, Mike?” Micky asked.

“Asking me if he’s here…but what if Pete’s already at his place, and he just wants to see how I’d react when he asked, messing with my head?”

“You think he’d do that? That’s not cool,” Micky said.

There was suddenly a knock at the front door. Mike got up to answer it, even though he knew it wouldn’t be Pete there. On the other side it was Annie with the twins in their stroller.

“Hey, Annie. He hasn’t come back, and I’ve no idea where he is. Jacob called and said he wasn’t at his place, but I don’t know if I believe him. I’m gonna go for a walk, I think. I need to clear my head. I won’t be too long. Mick, see you later.”

Annie sat by Micky on the couch, leaving the twins asleep in their stroller. “He doesn’t seem to be taking things well. I wish I knew where Peter had gone. I don’t think he’d go to Jacob’s though—he’d think Mike might look for him there.”

“Me neither, and I hope he hasn’t gone off somewhere to get drunk. It didn’t work out well the last time he did. He could have gone with someone from the protest, maybe?” Micky added.

“Do you know many of his other friends? There were a few at the party the other night.”

“I suppose there are a few I could call. He didn’t take much with him,” Micky said.

“I can’t believe how things have changed between them in such a few short days. They were so happy at the party. I can understand why he blames Jacob though.”

“Why’s that, Annie?”

“He’ll think Jacob turning up has changed things. Pete’s spending more time with him catching up on things. I don’t think Pete would try anything with Jacob, not after last time.”

“I got some photos back yesterday from the party. I haven’t known whether to show either of them.”

“Probably best if you don’t yet. Don’t make Mike feel any worse than he is,” Annie said.

“What did you mean when you said after last time? I thought Jacob was straight, into chicks? That’s what Nick said.”

“I don’t know if I should say anything. I think it’s best Pete tells you himself, Micky. Nick doesn’t really know Jacob too well, but I’m really close with his sister. We both think Jacob’s bisexual.”

“Ooh, okay…do you think he likes Pete then?” he asked.

“I don’t know. I haven’t really had much to do with him since he moved out here, but I know back in college, Peter liked him a lot. He and Mike have quite a few similarities in how they look.”

“Yeah, I suppose they do look alike in some ways, so Pete was attracted to him.”

“He was, but they were at college around other guys and—”

“Morning, Micky. Morning, Annie.” They were interrupted by Davy walking into the kitchen to brew a pot of tea. “How are the twins? They’re quiet.”

“They are good. They fell asleep just before I got here. The reason I’m out with them is they’ve been screaming the house down all morning.” Annie laughed.

“Davy misses having someone smaller than him around.” Micky laughed, looking at Davy.

“Where’s Mike? And is he in a better mood?”

“Not good, and he took off to the beach for a walk. He hasn’t been gone too long. He left just after Annie got here. I hope he doesn’t sulk all day. I’ve no idea if we’re rehearsing for tonight’s gig.”

“I doubt it, Mick, if Pete doesn’t turn up. What you think, Annie?”

“I don’t know. I’d better go home anyway. It’s nearly time for these two’s next feed, and Christine’s going into work early—they’re doing some cleaning jobs around the club. I’ll see you soon.”

“Yeah, bye. We’ll let you know if Pete turns up,” Davy said.

“Jacob called here. Mike spoke to him. He claims Pete isn’t with him, but Mike thinks otherwise. Annie was gonna tell me something, but you got up. It was about Jacob and Pete’s past.”

“Sorry, Micky. I’m not gonna be hanging around all day. I met this blonde, Katie, at the protest yesterday and we’re off to the movies.”

“I don’t know how you can do it, arrange a date when you’re already out with a chick.”

“I can’t help being irresistible. This chick came on to me, and asked me out.” Davy winked to Micky.

“You need to help me find a decent chick. Nothing like Cathy. Hopefully there might be some good ones at the gig tonight. Wonder how much longer Mike will be?”

“Well, I’m off out in about quarter of an hour, meeting her outside the movie theater.”

“She paying as well, seeing as she asked you out? It’s good having a chick who can afford to pay for things and not expect a guy to pay for everything.”

“Yeah, Katie has a job too. She works at J C Penny, in the cosmetics department.”

“Well at least buy the snacks—don’t let her think you’re cheap,” Mucky commented.

Mike came back about forty minutes after Davy had left to go and meet Katie. He didn’t look in a much better mood—he looked just as fed up as when he’d left earlier. He sat in a chair in the living room, and started to play his guitar.

“You wanna rehearse? I’m not sure what time Davy will be back. He’s off on a date,” Micky said.

“No, it’s a bit pointless with just three of us. We should be okay tonight, just play the same sets as Sunday, so you go out if you want, Mick. I don’t mind being on my own. Has anyone called?”

“No, phone hasn’t rung once…were you hoping Pete would’ve phoned?”

“Maybe, I suppose. Did Annie have much to say?” Mike asked.

“Well she told me that she and Jacob’s sister think he’s bisexual, and Pete was into him when they were at college together. I didn’t find much out as Davy got up, and she didn’t carry on.”

“Pete did say he tried to kiss a guy in college and he got hit for doing it…could that have been Jacob? It could be possible, and Pete doesn’t hold grudges so he’d have forgiven him.”

“That’s interesting. Could be that. You still think he’s after Pete?”

“I don’t know what to think. I’m sure he doesn’t like me though, but he seems to be okay with you and Davy. He’s been friendly with you.”

“I’ll talk to him tonight and ask him what his problem with you is.”

“No, there’s no need Mick. I don’t need you getting involved. He’d probably love that. I don’t want him to know things are bothering me, okay?”

“No problem, Mike. Anything you say.”

The phone rang and Micky got up to answer it. “Oh hi, Davy…thought you were going to see a movie? Ah, okay then…what…you sure? Did you talk to him? He said what? He’s there too…has he seen you? Go talk to him—find out what you can! Go on do it…see you later.”

Micky hung up the phone and came back over to the living room. “That was Davy calling.”

“Okay. I thought it might be. So what’s up with him, and what on earth were you talking about?”

“All right. Let me start. Well he and his date decided to go for something to eat before they go see the movie. They picked a diner off the Strip, and he bumped into someone as they went in.”

“Go on, Mick,” Mike said. “Who did he see?”

“It was Jacob! They chatted for a few minutes. He said he’d met some friends for lunch. Katie and Davy went upstairs, and Pete was there with a guy! Davy asked him what he was up to, and he said the same as Jacob—having lunch with some friends, and some had already left.”

“Sounds so similar to the other day, when Pete claimed he hadn’t seen Jacob,” Mike stated.

“Davy asked him if Jacob had had lunch with them and he said no, he hadn’t seen him since yesterday. He didn’t tell Davy where he’d stayed. He and his friend left not long after he’d talked to Davy.”

“So who do you think is lying, Mick, Jacob or Peter? I reckon this happening once is believable but to happen twice in a few days? No way. One of them’s lying, and they were having lunch together. I’m gonna ask him tonight.”

“Ask who what? Pete or Jacob? Ask them both if they were together?” Micky asked.

“Jacob first, then Pete and also ask him if he stayed at Jacob’s last night.”

“Didn’t Pete promise not to lie to you? I don’t think he’d lie to Davy either. He and Davy are close after sharing a room for a few years, so let’s ask Davy what he thinks when he gets home?”

“Okay. I’ll try to stay calm, but I’m ready to knock Jacob out. I’m off to my room for a while.”

Davy got back a few hours later. Mike hadn’t emerged from his bedroom at all, and Micky was worried about him. Mike was stubborn for sure, but he was not himself right now.

“Where’s Mike? Did you tell him what I told you?” Davy asked.

“Yeah I did, but he didn’t take it well and went off to his room straight after and he’s been in there since. I don’t know what to say to him. Do you think Pete and Jacob met up?”

“I don’t know. When I saw Jacob, I had no idea Pete was upstairs. Pete looked a little puzzled when I questioned him about Jacob, and said he hadn’t seen him,” Davy said.

“Mike said the same thing happened the other day. Could Jacob maybe just live nearby?”

“I believed Pete though. I could tell in his eyes he wasn’t lying to me. I was gonna ask him where he’d stayed but Katie shouted me over, so I told him I’d see him at the club tonight.”

“Okay, Davy, you need to tell Mike this, because he wants to have it out with both of them later.”

“I will. Pete asked if we’d bring his bass—he forgot to take it with him. He did leave in a rush after all. He didn’t seem too happy either. Just like Mike, he looked upset and miserable.”

“So looks like they’re missing each other. Good to know,” Micky commented.

It got to dinnertime and Micky decided to check on Mike, finding him lying on Pete’s side of their makeshift double bed, still awake.

“Davy’s starting on dinner. Do you want any? We packed the car up ready for later.”

“No thanks, Micky. I’m not hungry. I’ll stay in here and get a shower before we’re due to go out to the club. I want to be on my own for now.”

***

They arrived at the club later and started setting up their equipment. Christine came over with a tray of drinks for them. “Brought you a beer, Mike. You look like you could do with it. Cokes for you two, though,” she said to Davy and Micky.

Mike had noticed Jacob getting things ready behind the bar, and Jacob flashed a smug smile at him, when the other two had their backs to the bar, setting up the drum kit.

“What do the other staff think about Jacob?” Mike asked Christine.

“He seems to get on with everyone. He’s friendly and helpful, willing to do any shifts. I’m not sure what Ronnie thinks, but she did hire him.”

“Have you seen if Pete’s here yet?” he asked her.

Ronnie pointed to upstairs. “He’s been upstairs all afternoon with Vicky. When I found out, I called Annie to let you know, but you’d probably left by then. I haven’t known long.”

“No worries. At least I know where he’s been and that he’s here for our gig. Thanks, Christine.”

Mike let the other two know and noticed Jacob walking over. He stopped in front of him.

“Hi. I suppose Christine told you Pete stayed with Ronnie and Vicky last night? I asked him if he wants to stay with me tonight, though, so we can catch up better with no interruptions, so I doubt he’ll be going back with you later. Sorry about that, but I’m enjoying spending time with him.” 

Jacob said hi to the other two and Mike watched him as he walked, almost bumping into Pete when he entered the area. Mike noticed Pete smile when he saw him. They seemed to be having a conversation. He pulled Pete around so his back was facing Mike and gave him a big hug, staring straight at Mike, who grew angrier by the minute.

_That hand is far too low. He’ll be cupping Pete’s ass any moment, and Pete doesn’t seem to be objecting. Let go of him!_

A few minutes later, he did let go and patted Pete on the back as Pete came over to the stage. Pete greeted Davy and Micky first then Mike.

“Hi, Michael. I stayed here last night, and I don’t think I’ll be coming back to the pad tonight. There’s something I need to ask you, but not in front of the others.”

“Okay, let’s move over to this table.” Mike sat first. “Go on.”

“Jacob told me some people have phoned the club and been making complaints about him, saying he’s rude, short-changing them, ignoring people, spending too much time watching us when we’re playing, and Ronnie’s not happy with him.”

“Okay, Pete, why you need to tell me about this?” Mike asked him.

“Well I…no, _we_ were wondering if it could have been you who did it. Another attempt to get him away from me. I know you don’t like him, but I’d never thought you could stoop to that level, Michael. I’m really disappointed in you.”


	15. Chapter 15

Mike looked at Pete in shock. He couldn’t believe what he’d just said to him. “Pardon, Pete? I’ve no idea what the hell you’re on about. I ain’t made any phone calls to the club complaining about anyone.”

“Well someone has, and the way you’ve been acting lately, it’s easy to think that,” Pete said.

“I’d tell him to his face, not say things behind his back. What is this guy saying to you? You’ve changed since you’ve been hanging out with him.” Mike stated his point.

Jacob suddenly appeared by Pete’s side. Mike looked shocked and stared right at him. “Hey, Mike, Pete, there’s something I need to tell you. Sorry, I nearly forgot about it, but you see that guy over there in the corner?”

Mike and Pete both looked over to the man in the suit sitting at a table near the stage.

“Well he’s been in the past few nights checking out the bands we have playing here—he’s looking for acts for a new TV show. I heard he’s been going around all the clubs on the Strip. The other man by his side is a local DJ helping him with promotion and he’s hoping to be the host on the show.”

“So could be good for us?” Mike answered.

“Yeah, I served him a few times last night and had a good chat with him, told him he needed to come in tonight so he could see you guys perform. I told him how you’re the house band and play three nights a week and have a good local following, and he agreed to come back,” Jacob told them.

“That’s good of you to mention us, isn’t it, Michael? Thanks so much, Jacob,” Pete said to him, but he was watching how Mike had reacted to the news.

“It’s no problem, Pete. Anything I can do to help. I’d better get back behind the bar—Christine looks a little stressed out. Chicks!” He laughed and walked off, leaving Mike and Pete alone.

“You could have at least said thank you to Jacob, Michael. He didn’t have to help us out.”

“Sorry, but he was mainly trying to impress you, I think. He was mainly looking at you. He’s being far too nice all of a sudden, but you can’t see it. You’re blind to this guy, aren’t you?”

“I can’t believe you! Why do you always have to think the worse of people?”

“Because not everyone’s like you, viewing the world through rose-tinted glasses, choosing to think everyone will treat you the same as you do to them. Well, the world’s not like that.”

“Jacob’s doing a good thing. Give him a break please.”

Micky came over to the two of them. “Guys, we need to start playing in a minute—you ready?”

Mike got up and followed Micky. “I’m ready. We’ve finished our chat, haven’t we?” he said to Peter. “I’ve got nothing else to say on the issue.”

Pete came over to the stage, put on his bass and nodded to Mike. The first set went down really well despite the atmosphere and tension between Mike and Pete, who barely looked at each other. They played some of their more popular songs and the crowd got into it. Both industry guys were watching them, but Mike couldn’t work anything out from the looks on their faces.

Davy stepped in front of them when they left the stage for their break. “You two need to sort yourselves out. It’s not fair on me or Mick—you’re both in bad moods. Do I need to bang your heads together? You’re acting like a pair of kids who’re sulking against each other,” he said to them.

Mike apologized to them, but Pete just walked off. Mike noticed Jacob wasn’t behind the bar. _Does he time his breaks with our breaks so he can take off somewhere with Pete? Sure looks like it to me._

“I’ll go get us all a Coke, guys,” he said to the younger pair and went to get served. Christine took his order and Mike took the drinks over to a table where Micky and Davy sat talking to a couple of blonde chicks.

“Aren’t you going to find out where Pete took off to, Mike?” Davy asked him.

“No, I bet I know where he’s gone, and he’s fully aware what time our next set is, so why should I bother? He’s obviously got someone better to be with.” 

“Mike, you both need to get things sorted. Please try and talk to him,” Micky begged.

“Okay, after our next set if he can be bothered to stick around. Jacob already told me Pete isn’t planning on coming back to the pad with us.”

Mike told them about the guys who were here to see them play and for what reason—the TV show and maybe some radio time. The younger pair looked really happy.

“Wow! This could be a huge opportunity for us! I hope they dig us,” Davy said.

“This is groovy! Getting the band on a TV show could lead to maybe a record deal, cutting a single and an album! We can’t mess this up, Mike. This is big,” Micky said with a huge smile on his face.

The girl Micky was talking to was his type, but maybe a little quiet for his liking. She was the friend of a chick Davy had started chatting up, and she told Micky her name was Gemma, which he found odd as that was Coco’s real name. She asked him if they could have a drink together after their gig.

Outside, Pete stood with Jacob while he had a smoke. “It’s good to see you standing up to Mike. I’ve no idea what you ever saw in him, Pete. As I said, you could do so much better than him.”

“But he’s the guy I love, Jacob. It’s hard to be mad at him. He looks so fed up. I don’t think he made those phone calls. It’s not like him.”

“Well who else could it be? He’s the only guy I’ve had any issues with lately,” Jacob answered.

“You could at least talk to him, ask him why? It’d be better if you both got along. I hate arguing with anyone, especially Michael. Please, Jacob, for me.”

“Can’t you see—he wants you to himself! He’s jealous and possessive and sees me as competition. It’s like he doesn’t want you to have any male friends outside the band.”

“I have other friends though, and he’s fine with them.”

“Yeah, but most of them are female or someone he doesn’t see as a threat to him. Does he know about what happened at college? Annie probably told him and made things worse.”

“I don’t think she said anything to him about that. It shouldn’t matter—we were just kids and I didn’t know him back then, and it was all my fault what happened. I’ve forgiven you for your reaction.”

“I regret what I did. Maybe if I’d accepted you back them, things would have been so different…you think it would have worked out?”

“I don’t know. I flunked college, moved away from home. I’m glad I had my time in New York, then moving out here, starting the band with the guys, meeting Michael… I think it was for the best. They say things happen for a reason.”

“Be good for you all if those industry guys like you,” Jacob said to him.

“Yeah it will. Thanks again for that, and sorry about Michael’s reaction. I’d better get back soon—don’t want him thinking I forgot the time. I’ll see you later.”

“No worries, Pete. You don’t need to apologize to me for him. It’s his problem. We’ll chat when you’ve finished your set. Hope it goes well. I’d better get back to work too.”

It was soon time to get back on stage. Pete came back from wherever he’d been, and Jacob was back behind the bar serving again. Mike watched as he smiled over at Pete and winked. _God I wanna wipe that damn smirk of his face. That was so for my benefit. I ain’t that stupid_

The second set started off well, but the tension between Mike and Pete affected them. Micky was watching Gemma, who’d come to the front of the stage to dance with her friend who couldn’t take her eyes off Davy, and Davy of course was making the most of the attention, whereas Mike and Peter were doing their best to avoid looking at each other again.

Mine was glad when they finished. He noticed Jacob watching Pete again throughout the set and giving him the odd snide look. Ronnie came over to talk to him, asking if he wanted to go upstairs.

“I’ll be up soon. I think we need to have a chat with those two guys over there.” He pointed to them at the table in the corner and called the other three over.

“Let’s go sit at the table next to them. We need to find out what they thought of us.” Mike sat down and shook hands with both of them, hoping for good news.

“Well, we’re the Monkees. I’m Mike, guitarist; Pete here plays bass, banjo, guitar, piano, keyboards and will have a go at anything; Micky’s our drummer and singer, plays guitar too, and last is Davy, our percussionist and singer, from Manchester in England.”

“Hello, guys. Well, my name’s James Harper—here’s my card. Andy Marshall here is a up-and-coming DJ about to move to an LA radio station, and I’m looking at him as a host for a new show I’m putting together…and I’m looking for local bands and clubs to play and feature on it.”

“That sounds like a brilliant opportunity for us. What did you think of our sets?” Mike asked them.

“Well…I’m not sure how to put it. I’ll be straight to the point. I don’t think you gel as a group. I couldn’t feel it—there was something missing. No spark. Yeah, some kids like it and dance, but you need to be a better together unit. Do you all know what I mean?”

“Yeah. I’m sorry. We’re normally a lot tighter—you just caught us on a bad night. You can ask the club manager, Ronnie. We pack the place on a Saturday night,” Mike pleaded with them.

“I will be having a word with her, but okay, I’ll come back over the weekend and give you a second chance. I won’t let anyone know what night, but you sure need to sort yourselves out and get your act together. I can sense some tension, but Andy here caught part of one of your previous sets and he’s persuaded me to come back. Just don’t mess this up. I’ll see you soon.” 

Andy looked over at them. “Yeah, I only saw a few songs, but I know you can do so much better.”

Davy and Micky glanced at Mike and Pete, giving them stern looks, “You two need to sort things out as quickly as you can. It can’t affect the band’s future,” Davy said, with Micky nodding in agreement with him.

“Please, guys, we really need this chance. Don’t mess it up for us. I know you can do it. This could lead to much bigger things for us,” Micky added.

“The band needs this. Mike, Pete don’t ruin it for us. We need to show him what we’re normally like.” Davy looked from one to the other.

“Sorry, guys,” Pete said to Davy and Mike. “I’m sure we’ll win him round.”

Both guys left after a brief chat with Ronnie who then came over and took Mike upstairs to chat. 

“Is everything okay within the band?” she asked him. “It’s good James is coming back to see you again. I hope it all goes well. He wants to use the club in the show too.”

“Things are a bit tense, I suppose, but we won’t mess up next time,” Mike replied.

“I gather with Pete staying here last night that you two are having a few problems… Don’t worry. He hasn’t said anything bad. I think he’s missing you though, but trying his best not to show it. But you know him—he doesn’t hide things too well.”

“He’s being odd around me and I blame Jacob, the guy behind the bar. Since he turned up here, things have gone downhill between us. The guy seems to like to cause trouble and aggravate me.”

“I’ll do whatever I can to help. I was talking to Christine earlier and she told me a few things.”

“Annie hasn’t said anything to me. I know she’s been busy setting up the twins’ naming ceremony and with them moving house. I don’t think she’s too keen on him,” Mike said.

“Listen, Vicky and I are out most of the morning. There’ll be a couple of bar staff doing some cleaning downstairs, so drop by and see Pete in the morning. He’s sleeping in the spare room. Have some time alone to talk, get things back on track.”

“Thanks, Ronnie. I think that’s a good idea. You’re a good friend to us. I know this TV thing will be good for you and the club too, more exposure, bigger crowds through the doors.”

Later, Mike went home alone; Davy and Micky went off with the chicks from earlier to get some food and have a chat, and Pete had already gone upstairs to the flat before they’d all left.

Mike went straight to bed not bothering to wait up for the other two getting back to the pad.

***

Mike was up late the next morning, after another restless night, but after some breakfast and a couple of cups of very strong coffee, he decided to head of down to the club. He scribbled a note for the others, letting them know where he’d gone.

He got into the Monkeemobile and drove to the Strip, soon parking up in front of the Dive. He decided to not get out yet, needing to get his thoughts together first before anything.

_Calm down…think about what you want to say to Pete. I want him to come back home so badly. I don’t want another night sleeping alone._

In the club Jacob and another waitress were giving the bar area a good clean. The bottles were off the shelves and Jacob was cleaning with a wet cloth, a bucket of water by his side. The chick stepped back and accidentally knocked the water all over him, soaking him. She apologized.

“I can’t stay in these wet clothes all day. I’m sure Ronnie won’t mind if I put them in their dryer. I’ll be back downstairs as soon as I’m finished, okay? Shouldn’t take too long.”

He went into the apartment’s kitchen, stripped down to his boxers, put his T-shirt and pants into the dryer, and sat down to wait for it to finish its cycle. He heard a noise coming from one of the bedrooms and went to check it out. He hadn’t known Pete had slept over another night.

He approached the bedroom, opened the door, and saw Pete half-awake. His hair was mussed and he looked a little flushed. Jacob went in and sat on the bed.

“Morning, sleepyhead. I didn’t realize you were here. Excuse the sight.” Jacob laughed. “Bit of an accident with a bucket of soapy water. How’re you doing?”

“Not too bad. Didn’t feel like going back home yet. I think Micky and Davy weren’t too happy with us last night, and, well, Michael wasn’t happy either,” Pete replied.

“I’m sure he’ll soon get over it. You can always stay at my place, if you don’t what him to know where you are. I don’t mind,” Jacob added.

Meanwhile Mike got out of the car, took a deep breath and walked inside the club. He greeted the girl behind the bar. She tried to get his attention but he didn’t hear her.

He walked through the back to the stairs and went up to the apartment. He approached the spare bedroom, paused for a moment and opened the door.

He couldn’t believe the sight in front of him and stood there in shock for a few minutes, backing away a little and staring directly at the two guys in front of him on the bed.


	16. Chapter 16

Mike stared straight at Pete. He looked a bit flushed, his hair a mess. He struggled to get the words out but came straight out with it. “How could you— How long have you two been sleeping together behind my back? All those secret meetings you’ve been together at, lying to people about it, and all the time you’ve been cheating on me, Pete! You got an answer for that?”

He noticed the smug look on Jacob’s face, and the pure shock and horror on Pete’s.

“Michael, please! It’s not what you think—nothing’s happened, I promise. Believe me. Jacob, please will you tell Mike what happened? It’s not how it looks,” Pete pleaded to both of them.

“I think it’s best if I leave you two to it. I’m gonna get changed and get back to work,” Jacob said.

“I don’t wanna talk or listen to whatever crap either of you have to say. I’ll leave you together. I’m going back to the pad. Don’t bother following me.” Mike stormed out of the bedroom.

He passed Jacob at the bottom of the stairs—he must have been waiting for him. “You happy now? You’ve got exactly what you wanted, what you’ve been after all along,” Mike snapped.

“Sorry. No hard feelings, but can’t you see I’m much better suited to him than you’ll ever be? I don’t know what he ever saw in you. See you around, Mike.”

Mike was just about to knock him out, but decided against it, not giving him the satisfaction. _I wanna punch him so bad, but if I start, I don’t know if I’ll be able to stop. I can’t believe it. I knew things were too good to last._

He got in the Monkeemobile and punched the steering wheel. He was mad, but more upset than anything. He needed to calm down before he started the drive home. Every light was against him on the way and just getting him more worked up. By the time he got to the pad, he was fit to burst. He walked in and slammed the door behind him. Davy was at the kitchen table and Micky on his way down the spiral staircase.

Davy looked at him a little worried. Mike looked like he was about to explode.

“Everything okay, Mike? I saw your note—did you get everything sorted out with Pete? Is he gonna be coming back home?” Davy asked him.

“Do I look like everything’s okay to you? Because at the moment, I feel like my world’s falling apart, and you can stop before you even think of making some kind of joke, Micky. I ain’t in the mood for any sass off either of you, and does it look like Pete’s decided to come home? Oh look here—he’s hiding in my pocket!” Mike snapped.

“Wasn’t gonna say a word, Mike. I’m just gonna get some cereal. Is there anything we can do to help? You want me to have a talk to Pete?” Micky asked.

“If you both wanna help me, you can stop asking stupid questions like that, okay? Unless you wanna come and help me pack up Pete’s belongings from my room, box ’em up and put them in the spare bedroom for when he decides to grace us with his presence.”

“Surely things aren’t that bad between you?” Davy asked him.

“Do I look like I’m laughing or joking to you, Davy? Don’t worry. I don’t need any help. We got any trash bags? I’ll fill up a few with his clothes and stuff. I want them out my way as soon as possible.”

He stormed off to his room, the bang of the door shocking the others.

“Something’s gone really bad. He’s ready to explode! I’ve never seen him this mad before. What on earth’s Pete done to him?” Micky looked confused.

“Well I sure aren’t gonna ask him. You can do that. I think we might need to keep an eye on him though. He’s not in a good way,” Davy answered.

“How come I should be the one to ask him? Why not you? You scared of him?” Micky laughed.

“When he’s in this foul of a mood I am, and you get on so much better with him. You shared a room with him for a few years. He’ll talk to you. Go for it?” Davy tried to encourage Micky.

They both approached the door of the downstairs bedroom and heard quite a few noises from inside. Micky, looking slightly worried, grabbed the door handle. “You really sure this is a good idea, Davy?”

Davy gave him a slight push and Micky nearly fell when the door opened. Inside Mike had emptied drawers and Pete’s bedside table and two full trash bags were on the bed. “You two come to help or just stand there like a pair of dummies? Take those bags into the spare room for me.”

“Are you really sure this is what you want, Mike? What on earth happened between you and Pete to cause this?” Micky indicated the bags, then picked them up.

“Well, guys, how would either of you feel if you walked in on your partner naked in a bedroom with another man? Pretty much the way I’m feeling now, I’d guess!”

“Mike…what? Pete wouldn’t do that to you. He loves you,” Davy said.

“I’d have thought that too, but no, he’s a liar and a cheat. I knew something was going on between him and Jacob. Probably has been on and off for years—Annie hinted at something in their past.”

“Did you ask Pete what had gone on? You didn’t see them…well, having sex, did you?” Micky asked.

“No, luckily I missed that part, but Jacob sure looked happy with himself. And no, I didn’t talk to Pete. I just wanted to get the hell outta there. I felt sick, angry, upset and most of all, stupid.”

“Are you gonna be okay?” Micky asked. He noticed him wiping tears away, but he knew Mike wouldn’t want them to see him cry. “You want us to leave you on your own for a bit?”

“Yeah, thanks, guys. Sorry for taking my anger and frustration out on you. I think I need to be alone right now. Why did I let myself fall for him, care so much for him? I should have known it was doomed from the start. It was always too good to be true.”

“Okay, come on, Davy. If you need us, we’ll be in the living room, okay, Mike?”

***

After Mike had stormed out of the room, Pete just stared at the slammed door for a few minutes. He was in shock. The next thing his eyes were welling up and he couldn’t stop the tears from coming. He wasn’t sure what to think or do next. Jacob had taken off before Mike had left. He wished Vicky was here. He needed someone badly. He felt like he was having a breakdown.

After about twenty minutes, Jacob came back in, fully dressed this time, and sat on the bed beside Pete. “You okay now? I thought I’d give you some time on your own. Did you have any idea Mike was gonna be here? He sure showed his true colours to you—what an ass!”

“I had no idea he was coming. He didn’t even give me chance to explain. Why didn’t you say something? You could have told him nothing had happened between us,” Pete asked him.

“You really think he’d have believed me? He’s had it in for me since the first time we met.”

“You didn’t give him a chance either. He’s a good guy—a nice person. I love him and it now looks like I’ve lost him for good. I need to go to the pad and talk to him, make him hear the truth. You got your motor bike here?”

“Yeah, in in the back yard. Why?”

“Because I’m gonna get dressed and then you’re giving me a ride to the pad so I can see him, get through to him, and you can tell him the truth too, okay? Leave me to get ready. I’ll be down in a minute.”

Jacob was outside and waiting when Pete walked up to him. “You really sure this is a good idea, Pete? Why don’t you accept it’s over? It’s for the best.”

“No way. We’re leaving now. Let’s go.”

They were at the pad about fiftteen minutes later. Pete saw the Monkeemobile outside and knew at least Mike was home. “I’m going in, and you’re coming too,” he said to Jacob.

Inside the pad, Davy and Micky were playing cards at the kitchen table. “Where’s Michael? I need to talk to him. It’s important. He hasn’t gone out, has he?”

“No, he’s in your room, but he’s in a real bad mood. I’m not sure if he’ll want to see you, and I really doubt he’d want you around here,” Davy said to Jacob.

Micky stood. “Come on, Davy. Let’s go, give them a chance to talk.” They both went down to the beach, and Pete knocked on the bedroom door.

“What do either of you want now? I said I wanna be left alone.” A red-eyed Mike opened the bedroom door and stood face to face with Pete.

“Before you say anything, Michael, I need to tell you nothing happened between me and Jacob. We were just talking while his clothes were in the dryer. I’m not now and have never slept with him. I promise you that. Please, you tell him, Jacob.”

“Mike, it’s exactly what you think. You’re not that stupid, are you? I’m gonna leave you alone to deal with things. Like I said earlier, I don’t know what you ever saw in him. I need to get back to work.” Jacob walked out of the front door, leaving Pete astounded and Mike looking like he wanted to kill someone.

“Michael, I’ve no idea why he’s lying. We really haven’t slept together. I love you. You’re the only person I’ve ever been with. Please believe me.”

“Why should I? You’ve been sneaking around behind my back from the moment he turned up, Pete. Twice at the café, and at the club you both go off for your breaks together.”

“We just talk outside the back door—you’ve seen us there.”

“I wasn’t there all the time. You can get up to plenty out there in the dark, with no one else around. He’s been dropping hints to me about you being close and how he’s much better for you.”

“I’m sorry I had no idea, and I’ve never met him at the café. I really told you the truth.”

“Well if you’re thinking about coming back here, most of your stuff’s in bags in Annie’s old room…unless you’re planning on moving in with him? You still wanna be in the band with me?”

“Yes of course! The band means so much to me, but not as much as you do.”

“Well, I’m gonna give you a choice now, Pete. You’ve hurt me so badly, you know. So okay, this is it. It’s either Jacob or me. You decide,” Mike shouted at Pete.

“Michael, pardon? You want me to choose…”

“Yeah, you heard me right. Go on—can you do that?” Mike asked him, tears nearly coming again.

Pete turned around and ran out through the front door in tears. He didn’t know what to do or where to go. Mike’s ultimatum had shocked and surprised him.

Inside, Mike sat on the couch and broke down in tears, glad he was alone. He didn’t want any of the others to see him like this. _I hope Pete chooses me, but can I forgive him?_ he thought.

Pete only got to the end of the drive and saw Jacob there, still hanging around. “I thought you went to work? Why are you still here?” Pete asked.

“I decided to wait and see what happened. I know you too well. I knew you’d be upset and in tears and run off. I knew how you react to things,” Jacob said.

“Well you’re coming back in the pad with me now and you’re gonna tell Michael the truth this time. I’ve no idea why you lied to him. How could you do that to me? I thought we were friends.”

“I am your friend, and always will be,” Jacob said.

Pete grabbed his arm, dragging him down the drive and into the pad. He looked at Mike then back at Jacob.

“So you’ve decided, Pete, and this is your way of showing me—flaunting him in my face? Well, now I know how you feel, it might be best if you take your things and go. I’m gonna find Micky and Davy and leave you and him to pack your bags. By the way, you can have your ring back, and give mine back to me.” He took it off his finger and threw it at Pete. It landed at his feet on the floor.

“No, Michael, please don’t.” Peter bent and picked it up.

Mike turned around, ignoring what Pete was trying to say. He walked out of the back door and started down the steps, going to find the others.

“Michael, no, don’t go! Don’t leave me. Please…you can’t go. Jacob, you’re coming with me now!”

He held on to Jacob’s jacket and forced him to walk, pulling him down the stairs with him and onto the beach, he looked around to see where Mike had gone, and saw him just about to sit down with Micky and Davy.

“Come on, follow me,” he stated to Jacob. He walked in that direction, not letting go of Jacob, dragging him across the beach with him. “Michael, please, we need to talk. Please give me another chance.”

“Come on, Mike, at least listen to Pete,” Micky said, forcing Mike to look at Pete.

“Michael…I love you…God so much! I’ve never loved anyone as much as you. I doubt I ever will. You’re the only one for me. Please believe me, trust me.”

“Why should I ever do that? I know what I saw, heard what he said to me—do you think I’m stupid, Pete? I’m doing what’s best for me. Yeah, of course I still love you. I have done for ages, always will too. I wanted to be with you from the moment I saw you, but I can’t compete with him.” Mike started to tear up again and looked away. Micky went over to him to see if he could help.

“Guys, please! Jacob, can’t you see what you’ve caused? I thought you was a decent guy!” Davy said.

“Michael, please… Here, take my ring back. I want you to keep it, something to remember me by, because I will never forget you, I know I can’t live without you. I’d rather die than lose you. That would be the worst thing ever. You’re my world, my everything! Remember the vows we made to each other? I meant every word.”

Mike just stared at him, not knowing what to say. He didn’t want to ever lose Pete either.

Pete dropped to the sand and burst into tears. He pulled his knees up and buried his face in them. Davy came beside him and put his arms around him, staring angrily at Jacob.

“See what you’ve done? Pete ended up in the hospital the last time they had a row and that wasn’t anywhere as bad as this. I thought you were supposed to be his friend. You’ve wrecked his life. Mike’s too.”

Jacob just stood there, looking from Pete and Davy to Mike and Micky, then spoke. “I can’t do this anymore. There’s no easy way of saying this, so I’ll come straight out with it…I’ve been lying to you!”


	17. Chapter 17

“See! I knew it! The two of you were—”

“No, Mike. It’s not like that. It’s not what you’re thinking. I’m the guilty one.”

“What? So you’ve been messing me about all along?” Mike said to him.

“I’m sorry, really I am. I never meant it to go this far—it’s all me. Pete’s totally innocent in everything.”

Everyone stared at Jacob in shock, trying to take in what he was saying.

“I’m sorry, Pete. I hope you can forgive me. Michael, nothing happened between me and Pete. I was just talking to him while I was waiting for my clothes to dry—Pete had just woken up. You can ask Lisa who was in the bar with me. She knocked a bucket over me, I got drenched, so my clothes were in the dryer in the kitchen. I’m sorry for lying to you, Michael. I can’t apologize enough for the trouble I’ve caused. You don’t deserve it. I can see how much you love each other. I’ve never seen Pete so happy before.”

Mike couldn’t take his eyes off him. _What on earth’s gone on? I can’t believe it—the lying son of a bitch! I should kill him now._

“Mike, every time I said something to try and put you down, Pete stood up for you, said how much he loved you and how much you meant to him. I’m sorry. I’m gonna go. I’ll understand if you never want anything to do with me, Pete, and I wouldn’t blame you. And, Mike, hit me if you want. I’d understand why. I imagine it would make you feel better. I deserve it.”

“You say Pete’s your friend, but you’ve nearly wrecked his and Mike’s life. Mike was ready to kick him out of the pad, and god knows what this could have done to our group! Why, Jacob?” Micky asked.

“There’s just one thing I need to know, Jacob. Why did you do all this to us, to me? Is it because of what I did to you in college?” Pete asked him. “You hate me for what happened back then?”

“No, it isn’t that, Pete. I’ve forgiven you for that. Could we maybe go inside and talk, please?”

“All of us, or just you, me and Pete?” Mike asked him. “Micky and Davy have a right to know what’s been happening, don’t you think, Pete? They’ve been stuck in the middle of all this.”

Pete nodded.

“I don’t mind either way. I need to be honest and tell you the whole truth,” Jacob replied.

All five of them took what seemed a very long and quiet walk back along the beach, up the stairs and into the living room. Mike and Pete took the couch, Micky a chair and Davy pulled a chair from the kitchen table for Jacob, before he sat in an armchair. They were all staring at him, waiting to see what he was going to say. Pete, being nervous, took hold of Mikes hand which Mike gently squeezed back and smiled at him.

“I just need to repeat again how sorry I am for what I’ve caused, but I couldn’t take it any further. Just looking at you I can see how much you love, care and mean to each other,” Jacob stated.

“Go on then. I’m waiting to hear what you’ve got to say, why you caused all this pain and hurt.”

“Okay, Mike… Well, I am telling the truth when I say I came here to go to college to get my Master’s degree. I promised my dad I’d do it, for his dream of me teaching at a college. Do you remember when one of you said it was hard to get in, and I said someone was gonna help me, pull a few strings, influence my application, make sure I got accepted?”

“Yeah, you said that at our party. I remember,” Pete answered him.

“You also remember me saying I had to owe the person a big favor back in return for his help? Well what I’ve been doing…this is it. Pete, Mike, I’m sorry. I was told I had to split you up.”

“Someone wanted us split up? What? It’s nothing to do with a chick called Diana is it? She was mad at me a few months ago. She tried to break us up,” Mike asked Jacob.

“No, I don’t know anyone called Diana. This person is a man you’ve met and doesn’t approve of your relationship… I’m sorry to tell you this, Pete, but it’s your father. I’m kind of working for him.

gasped Mike and Pete, with Davy and Micky looking amazed and shocked.

“So it’s nothing about you trying to get your own back because of what happened in college? Michael, remember I told you I kissed a guy and he hit me? Well, that was Jacob. I thought I liked him and acted on my feelings at the time. I was a kid. It meant nothing,” Pete said to Mike.

“It’s okay, Pete. I understand. We all have a past, had crushes on people. It doesn’t matter.”

“No, Pete, nothing like that. You’re dad’s got something on me, and he knows how bad I want to live out Dad’s dream for him. He said if I didn’t do this, he’d write to any college I applied to and tell them I was queer, and no school or college would ever want a teacher like that…he threatened to ruin any chance of a career before I had chance to even start it.” 

“So you’re queer? You like guys after all?” Pete asked him.

“I’m bisexual, Pete. I didn’t know that back then. I was mad at you, because you kissed me in front of other guys, my friends—imagine how they reacted to me. I didn’t know any better, sorry.”

“So Pete’s dad wanted you to split us up? He wasn’t keen on me when we met, but how could someone do this to their own son? How could you do this to a friend?” Mike asked.

“He’s blackmailing me. He knows my mom—it would have broken her heart for me to not get into education like Dad was, and her too. He could wreck my future, my life.”

“I can believe my dad would do this. He can be ruthless when he wants or needs to be. I’ve seen it with his friends and people he works with—he always wants things his way.”

“Well he offered to get me into any college I wanted. I chose to come here because my sister’s going to UCLA in the fall, and Mom hoped I could look after her. I got us a two-bedroom apartment near the club. I can see the café you saw me in from my window. Pete really had no idea I was there, but I’d seen him arrive and knew it wouldn’t look good to be seen there at the same time.”

“So you’ve been getting orders from my dad—he’s been telling you what to do?”

“How many more lies have you been telling us? I dread to think,” Mike said staring straight at him.

“Quite a few… I did take and leave your keys in the dressing room,” Jacob replied.

“I knew it! What about your lighter being found here, your bike getting vandalized, and Pete telling me about someone complaining about you in the club?”

“Yeah, sorry. I deliberately dropped my keys when I picked up my jacket. Nothing was ever wrong with the bike, and I knew Pete would believe me about the complaints and tell you. He’s too trusting. It was easy to make him believe me, but he always doubted you being part of doing anything.”

“So what suddenly made you to be honest? Why now? You more or less succeeded—I’d packed his things up and I was ready to tell him we were over, that you’d done it, you’d split us up, you’d won.”

“I saw how it affected both of you, Pete saying he couldn’t live without you, the look in both your eyes… I could see how much you meant to each other, how much damage I’d caused. I couldn’t go through with it. I couldn’t let you lose each other.”

“What are you gonna tell my dad then, now you’re not doing what he expected you to do?”

“I don’t know, but he’s in LA at the weekend for a conference. I think your mom will be coming with him. I was supposed to be meeting him on Saturday sometime. They arrive Friday evening. I think he might be going to come here to see if you’re still around, if I did my job as he wanted.”

“Well how about you don’t say a word to him yet? We could lay a trap for him.” Micky laughed. “Davy, you up for helping me with a plan?”

“I suppose I better be, don’t trust you on your own. Anything could happen,” Davy replied.

There was suddenly a loud knock at the front door. Davy answered it and found a very anxious-looking Annie on the other side. “Christine just called me from work and said something had happened. I left the twins with Nick and Claire and rushed round as soon as I could. What’s happened?”

“It’s okay, Annie. Everything’s okay now. You don’t need to worry,” Pete reassured her.

“It’s all to do with him again, isn’t it?” She pointed at Jacob. “He’s messed your head up again, Peter, hasn’t he? Jacob I will never forgive you if Peter does what he did before. I’ll kill you myself!”

“What happened before Annie? You were gonna tell me the other day but Davy interrupted us and you left,” Micky asked.

“First, I think she needs to know what’s been happening since Jacob’s return, what he nearly caused. Go on, Jacob. You can tell her everything, and who’s been giving you your orders,” Mike told him.

Jacob told her everything, about the lies he’d told, about their father blackmailing him, how he couldn’t go through with everything and how sorry he was, for what he’d nearly caused.

“I wanna kill you even more now, but wait until I see Dad. He’s gonna regret everything. I hate him!” she said. “After all the problems you caused before! I can’t believe you’d cause more trouble.”

“So, Annie, what happened? What were you gonna tell me?” Micky asked her again.

“Peter, I’ll only tell them if you’re okay with it. I did tell Mike to talk to you. I’ve not said a word to anyone. Nick doesn’t even know everything,” Annie said.

Pete looked over at Annie. His gaze then went to Jacob and finally stopped on Mike. “I guess it ought to come out, but don’t worry, Michael, I don’t feel like I did back then. You either, Annie. I’m fine.”

“We don’t need to know if you don’t want, Pete, but maybe Jacob should hear,” Mike said.

Annie spoke up. “Yeah he needs to know. I guess you know Peter kissed him when they were in college. Jacob didn’t want to look bad in front of the other guys and knocked Peter out cold. We got a call that Pete had been fighting—that’s what Jacob and the other guys told the staff and they called Dad, asked him to go to the college…he had friends amongst the professors.”

“He embarrassed you, didn’t he, Jacob? You couldn’t have your friends thinking badly of you. You called Peter a queer freak to his face, right in front of them. Peter, who’d been your friend for years.”

“I’m sorry, Annie. Yeah, he embarrassed me. I couldn’t let them know I did like Pete that way. They’d have knocked me out. I didn’t want a fight with them.”

“No but you watched them beat Peter up. You agreed with them when they said Peter started the fight. It was three guys against one—he didn’t stand a chance, and you did nothing.”

Mike held Pete’s hand tighter, because Pete was getting stressed. “You okay?”

Pete nodded.

“Peter ended up in trouble with the principal, Dad’s old college friend, the one who called home. Pete didn’t want Dad to know what had happened. So he did his usual disappearing act. He took off. He could never cope with confrontation. Dad was fuming back home, telling Mom how Pete had embarrassed him again, so he took off to the college in a bad mood.”

“Yeah I remember him turning up. The principal had me and the others in the office with him. I had to keep up with what I’d already told people and the others agreed with me. I didn’t see Pete again at college after that. I heard that he’d been thrown out,” Jacob said.

The others could see Pete was getting uncomfortable. “Pete, I’m sorry I asked,” Micky said.

“It’s okay, Micky. I really don’t mind. It’s probably for the best.” Annie came and hugged him.

She than continued. “Peter had taken off by then. No one knew where he was until a nurse from the local hospital called the college. Pete had been found outside a bar unconscious, so he was admitted to the hospital. Luckily he had some ID on him.”

Annie stopped to go and get a glass of water.

“Peter had more or less drunk himself into oblivion. He was put into an induced coma. He could have died, Jacob, and you caused that, and now you tried to mess with his head again. You came back into his life and Pete still accepted you as a friend. I couldn’t believe it, but that’s what Peter’s like.”

“I’m sorry, Annie. Pete, I really had no idea. No one ever told me what he’d done,” Jacob answered.

“What would you have done if he’d done that again? It would’ve been the third time—another time could have killed him. How can you call yourself his friend? But don’t worry because Dad’s gonna get it just as bad from me. And wait until I tell Mom. She’ll no doubt tell yours, and I’m gonna tell your sister.”

“Please, Annie, I don’t want my family to know what I’ve done,” he said. “My mom would hate me.”

“You really think I care about what your family think of you? You didn’t care about our family back then. You just looked out for yourself. My mom was worried she’d lose Pete. You could’ve killed him, but you come back and try and mess his life up again. Mike’s too.”

“I realized what I was doing was wrong before it went to far. That’s why I put an end to it. I can’t apologize enough to all of you.” Jacob said this as sincerely as he could.

“You want me to knock him out for you? Just say the word, Pete, and I’ll do it,” Davy asked.

Micky went over to Annie, who had worked herself up into a bit of a state. “Listen, you need to calm down, and don’t worry. I’m gonna come up with a plan to get back at your dad, and, Jacob, you’re gonna be involved in it—do something right for once, make things up to Pete and Mike.”

“I’d better get back to work. I’ll do anything you want, Micky. Just let me know when and where. I do need to do something to help,” Jacob said.

Pete spoke up next. “Listen, guys, please. I don’t want any violence. I just want to get my life back to normal—our life back to how it was, Michael, if you can forgive me. I still hope you want to be with me, because I never wanna lose you ever.”

Mike took Pete’s other hand, brought it to his lips, kissed it, and then gave Pete a brief kiss. “I feel exactly the same babe, I never wanna be apart from you again, we better get those bags back in our room and unpack them, I’m sorry I ever doubted you.”

“That’s okay. I can understand why you did,” Pete answered. “I know I’d have been much worse if I’d been in your position.”

“Well, never again. I guess we’ve got a lot of making up to do.” Mike put Pete’s ring back on his finger. “Here it’s back where it belongs. You never removed yours, did you?”

“No and I never will,” Pete answered.

By now Jacob had left. Micky looked over at Davy and Annie. “Come on, guys, let’s leave them alone. We’ll walk you home, Annie. I think things are gonna get noisy in here.”

He watched as Mike and Pete picked up the bags and headed off to their bedroom.


	18. Chapter 18

Mike and Pete put the bags down. Mike turned around and locked their door. The others were going out, but they didn’t need any disturbances from anyone when Micky and Davy returned.

“I think you’re a little over-dressed for my liking, Peter—you think we can change that babe?” Mike said, working slowly on the buttons on Pete’s shirt. He looked into Pete’s eyes, watching them go darker with arousal. Once he removed Pete’s shirt and tossed it onto the floor, he started on his belt, zipper and easing down his pants. _Just as I like him, no underwear. Ready and perfect._

Pete went to undo Mike’s shirt buttons, but Mike pushed his hands away. “Babe, please. I want to make things up to you. Please let me love you…you deserve this.” He stroked Peter’s cheek.

“Okay, Michael. We both have things we need to make up to each other. I want to please you just as much. I’ve missed being with you. I’ve hated sleeping in a bed without you the past few days.”

“Same here, babe, I’m never letting you out of my sight again. Just being with you completes me. I missed you so much.” He soon had Pete falling backward onto their bed. He stood looking down at Peter, his gaze taking in as much of his body as possible. He put his hand to his own crotch, his pants feeling far too tight.

“Look, Pete, just exactly what you do to me. I’m hard and ready for you.” He sat and touched Pete’s cock gently. “You are too. I can see just how much.” Pete grew harder against his hand.

“Michael…please…I need you.” Peter held his hand up to Mike, which Mike took hold of and kissed his fingers. He bent and kissed Pete, his tongue soon opening Pete’s lip’s. He pushed it into Peter’s mouth, their tongues duelling with each other. _God, I’ve missed this._

Mike stood and started to undress. He pushed Pete’s eager hands away from him. “No, babe. Stay there, lying down. I don’t wanna take my eyes off you, not for one minute. You’re all mine.”

Pete started to stoke his own cock while he watched Mike strip. “You liking what you see, then?”

“Oh my god, how can you think not? You’re gorgeous, and all this…” He looked up and down Pete’s body, taking every inch, from his blond hair, his strong legs, right down to his toes. “Babe, you’re all mine—every perfect inch of you.”

“So what are you wanting to do with me? I can see that wicked glint in those sexy brown eyes… You’re just as gorgeous. You’re perfect to me. I love you, Michael.”

“You trust me, don’t you, Pete? And can you be patient and wait while I get a few things?” Mike asked.

Pete nodded as Mike reached into his bedside drawer, taking out the handcuffs and a bandana. “You okay with these, babe? I want to surprise you.” He put one side of the cuffs on one wrist, kissing him, and then used the bandana as a blindfold. “No peeking. I won’t keep you waiting long, babe.”

Mike left the bedroom. Luckily the others hadn’t returned yet, as he hadn’t bothered covering himself up. He went into the kitchen and gathered up a few items into his arms. He placed them on the floor when he returned to their room and then then cuffed Pete’s wrist to the bedhead. He went into the closet at the far end of their room. “Not much longer now.”

He stood quietly at the closet door he’d just closed, looking over at their bed where Pete was ready and waiting for him. _I’m gonna make the most of tonight, of every precious moment we have._

 _“_ You ready for me now babe? My sweet young thing,” Mike purred to him. Lying beside Pete on the bed, he reached down to pick up the items he’d brought in from the kitchen.

“What are you doing, Michael?”

Mike leaned over and silenced Pete with another kiss. He knew he’d get no objection from his partner. Mike put some chocolate in his mouth, melting it slightly, then kissed Pete again, pushing the chocolate into his mouth.

“Ooh nice. So you’re feeding me? Well I haven’t eaten yet today…what else you got for us?”

He suddenly felt something cold dripping down his neck and being poured down his body, some settling in his belly button. Mike proceeded to lick down the trail, sucking the remains from Pete.

“Hey, don’t I get a taste? Please? I’m hungry, and not just for food!” Mike put a stop to his talking, giving him a mouthful of ice cream with another kiss. “Ooh, my favorite, vanilla!” Pete said.

“I know how much you love sweet things, babe. You wanna know what I’ve got next for you? Do you want the first taste, or shall I? Only I’ll have to eat off you as I forgot to bring any dishes.”

“Surprise me, Michael. I’m thinking you’ve got some maple syrup…I heard you go into the closet, so I’m looking forward to that.”

Mike reached down and got a banana, covering the top in whipped cream. “Open your mouth for me, Pete. I’ve got something for you to suck on.” He put the banana in Pete’s mouth, and Pete sucked off all the cream and started nibbling the fruit, eating it suggestively as he always did, which Mike loved.

“You wanna use the whipped cream on something else for me to suck on? Didn’t I get you worked up enough?” Pete knew exactly how much he’d got Mike hard and ready.

Mike put whipped cream on two of his fingers and held them to Pete’s open and willing mouth. “Ask and you will receive. Here you go, Pete.” Pete licked and sucked the food off each of Mike’s digits, like a desperate man.

“You want more, do you? Let me un-cuff you, so you can move a little better.” He reached up and undid one side from the headboard, but Pete was sneaky and turned the tables on him, quickly and swiftly attaching the cuff onto Mike’s wrist so they were attached together. “Pete, what you up to, babe?”

Before he had chance to answer, Mike had put whipped cream on his cock with his free hand, and put the tip at Pete’s lips. “There you go then. Enjoy this, Pete.” Within seconds, Pete greedily swallowed Mike’s whole length.

“You are hungry, aren’t you?” Mike purred as his cock reached the back of Pete’s throat. “I just want you to get me ready so I can fuck you,” Mike said as he eased his cock in and out.

He soon pulled out and reached over for the lube. “Need to get you ready for me,” he said, slicking up his length. “How do you want it? Hands and knees, or lying down?”

“Neither. I wanna be on top, ride you. You up for that? But can I please see you? I wanna look into those eyes of yours when you come. Will you untie the blindfold?”

Mike moved to Pete’s side to undo the blindfold, letting Pete’s sight adjust. He soon surprised Mike by moving on top of him, straddling Mike’s legs and easing himself down. He soon took his cock’s full length and, sitting on Mike, bent to give him a kiss. “Love you,” he whispered.

“Love you too, Pete.” Mike moved his hands to Pete’s side, stroking down to his hips.

Pete started slowly moving up and down, bending on his legs, then changing the angle to back and forth, circling at times, using his muscles to clench Mike’s cock as tight as he could, grinding back down on Mike, smiling down at him. He knew Mike was enjoying every sensation—he was thrusting up to meet Pete’s every move.

Mike took Pete’s cock in his hand, running his thumb over the tip, releasing more pre-cum. He moved his hand up and down in time with Pete’s movements. _I’m not gonna last much longer at this rate,_ Mike thought. Pete was now leaning back, not taking his gaze from Mike’s face. His body was glistening with a sweat sheen.

“Michael, I’m gonna come soon. You’re so good with your hands,” he said. He was still moving up and down, faster this time and using his muscles as tight as he could around Mike’s cock.

“Faster, harder, Michael please. Give me everything you can.” He screamed and his climax erupted in Mike’s hand, covering it in a stream of cum. It had been a while since they made love, and he’d been desperate for a release.

Mike did as Pete asked, thrusting up faster into him, them meeting each other’s movements. _This can’t get any better. Come on, Pete, babe, milk everything you can from me._ Mike came into Pete harder than he had in a while. He could hear the roar in his ears, and nearly blanked out in the power of his release. Pete was shouting so loud Mike was glad they had the pad to themselves.

He came back down to earth when Pete collapsed on top of his chest, slowly and carefully easing himself off Mike. He kissed Mike once again. “Oh my god, I’ve so missed you.”

“Me too babe…so much. Come here, closer to me. I never want to let you go, Peter. You were made just for me. My perfect partner. You mean the world to me, No one will ever try and separate us.”

They soon fell asleep in each other’s arms. Mike woke first and stayed quietly watching Pete sleep. He was so glad to have him back where he belonged beside him. He peeked over at the clock. It was only about eleven o’clock. Pete must have sensed Mike was awake, as he gradually awoke too.

They made love again, this time a little more gently, just enjoying each other, drifting off to sleep again afterward. Mike kept waking up every now and then always double-checking Pete was still beside him. He heard a quiet whisper.

“Don’t worry, Michael. I’m not going anywhere…well, unless you’re gonna go with me,” Pete said, taking his hand, getting closer to Mike and putting his head on Mike’s chest.

“It’s okay. It’s just I’ve not been sleeping too well on my own. Just glad you’re back here with me.”

“I’m sorry I left. I really need to make things up to you. Just let me know what. I’ll do anything for you, Michael. Anything you want,” Pete told him.

“You mean that, babe? I’m in the mood for you and me, well…”

Pete nodded yes to him.

After they’d had sex once more, Mike lay back with Pete draped over him, his head snuggled into the crook of Mike’s neck. He’d already succumbed to sleep once again. Mike kissed his head and put his arms around him and soon fell asleep himself.

They woke up and hit the shower together, but were soon disturbed by Davy knocking on the door. “Mike, Pete, are you gonna be long in there? Come on, guys. I hope you’re just showering in there. I need some things from the bathroom cabinet, and Micky’s up early, hogging our bathroom.”

Mike, looking a little disappointed, shouted to Davy, “Don’t worry, we’ll be out soon. Give us ten minutes or so.” He’d just finished washing Pete’s hair and Pete was about to start on his.

After finishing, getting dried and dressed—Mike drying both their hair with his hair dryer; he loved fussing over Pete, and Pete always let him have his way. Pete seemed to like Mike looking after him—they were soon met by Davy on the other side.

“I hope there’s some hot water left. He’s still in the shower up there, but at least he’s on his own… You two get much sleep?” He laughed. “I bet you did plenty of making up. We heard you late last night.”

“Sorry, Davy,” Pete answered, looking a little embarrassed. “I’ll be more careful in future.”

“Hey, don’t worry. I was only joking.” He gave Pete a smile and looked at straight at Mike. “It’s probably his fault anyway. Our tough Texan friend…does he get too rough with you?”

“You wanna know exactly how tough I can be, li’l buddy? I can be gentle with Pete too, but you and Micky can always get some ear plugs, or just turn the TV up,” Mike commented.

“Okay…okay. I better hurry up, because Micky wants to start a meeting soon,” Davy said.

“I dread to think what he’s planning. I hope it’s not gonna be too mad. Your mom and dad will be flying in later today, won’t they? Will they be staying at the hotel with your gran?” Mike asked.

“I’d imagine so. Nick will probably know. I wonder if Dad will go see Annie and the twins? I know Mom will want to, but is he gonna ignore his grandchildren, because he’s so stubborn?”

“Pete, it’s his own fault if he doesn’t. He’ll be the one missing out, won’t he?” Mike answered.

Mike was just pouring some coffee. Davy had at least started it going. Mike thought he’d need it, facing a hyper Micky this early. He made Pete a herbal tea too. He heard Micky coming out of the upstairs bedroom and got him a coffee ready too.

“Morning, Mick. I hear you’ve upset Davy’s hogging the bathroom. He’s still in the bathroom right now. We’ll need to wait for him—best we all know together what you’ve got in mind.”

“Well, I’ll get some Frosted Flakes while I’m waiting.” He checked the ice box to see if they had milk. Getting it out, he filled a big dish full, and put some toast on as well. “I’m hungry,” he said as Mike stared at him.

Davy was out of the bathroom and joined them about ten minutes later in the kitchen. They were all at the kitchen table, Micky at the head with a notebook and pen.

“You all ready? I’ve already written down a few ideas that we can go over,” he said.

“Yeah, come on, Mick. I could still be in bed and I’ve got a date in a few hours, so I hope this doesn’t take too long,” Davy said, looking bored already.

“All right. Okay. then I’ll begin. Jacob’s gonna call or come around later to finalize things. So tomorrow the conference is happening at UCLA. We can get there early in the morning, before everything really starts, or when Jacob gives me the time they’re meeting there. Jacob’s gonna suggest the cafeteria.”

“Okay, so are we gonna be there, hanging around to listen in to what they talk about?”

“Yeah, Mike, we all need to be in disguise. I’ve got a few ideas… There’s gonna be staff there helping with the conference, waiting staff, so one of us could be in a uniform showing people where to go. Then one of us at the next table dressed like a fellow professor. I got a waiter’s uniform too, a few false facial hair pieces, and glasses, and there’s one more thing… But who’s up for it?” Micky asked them.

“Who’s up for what?” Mike answered.

“Which one of you wants to dress as a chick? I got a wig, dress, and everything—your dad won’t be on the look-out for a woman, I’d imagine.”

Micky ran and came out of the closet with the clothes and some props.

“Actually, might be best to see who makes the best chick out of either of you three, or whoever the dress fits.” Micky laughed, while the other three just stared at one another. 


	19. Chapter 19

“I knew it’d end up being me having to wear the dress.”

“Well, you were the one it fitted best, and I’m sure you’d agree you do make the best female out of us. Mike couldn’t get away with it with those sideburns, and you are the least hairy of us,” Micky told Davy.

“Pete should have worn it. He and Mike could have pretended to be a couple in public then. Can’t you persuade him to trade places with me? And how did you get out of trying it on, Mick?”

“Hey, look at my legs—do they look anything like a chick’s?” Micky laughed. “Also, the waiter’s uniform looks better on me, and Mr. Thorkelson might not remember me as much, but you were supposed to be marrying his daughter, so you need the best disguise.”

“I imagine Pete would be the easiest for him to recognize… Come on, help me out, Micky?” 

Mike came out of his room, still looking a little tired. “You two are up early. What’s the matter? Is there a problem, guys? Because I ain’t in the mood for any trouble. We got enough on today.”

“Davy’s sulking because he’s gonna be dressing up as a chick. He wants us to persuade Pete to swap with him.” Davy gave Micky an icy stare, and crossed his arms on his chest.

“Well I ain’t asking him to swap with you. He’s stressed about doing this enough as it is. It’s not gonna be for long, Davy, and the clothes wouldn’t look the same on Pete,” Mike said as he yawned.

“Here, Mike, I already got the coffee on. Looks like you need a cup—not had much sleep again?” Micky winked at him. “I’m sure you two have done enough making up by now. You’ve barely left the bedroom in the past few days.”

“Thanks for the coffee. I’m gonna take Pete a tea and see if he’s gonna get up,” Mike said.

“What time are we meeting Jacob, Micky? You’re the one who’s been planning everything with him, and how long is this gonna take? I’ve got a date planned—bringing her to the gig tonight.”

“We need to meet him in about an hour and a half. Hopefully it shouldn’t take too long.”

Mike had returned to the bedroom with the drinks. “You gonna get up, babe? We’ll be heading out soon. Do you reckon we can trust Jacob today?” Mike asked. “You okay too?”

“Apart from being a little tired and sore.” Pete smiled at Mike as he made that comment. “We have been overindulging over the past few days. I haven’t even had chance to unpack those bags yet.” Pete sat up, pointing over at the two trash bags.

“Sorry, babe. I just haven’t been able to keep my hands off you. I’m tired but it’s been worth it. You can’t begrudge me that, can you?” Mike said with a wink.

“I think we can trust him…well, I hope so. Doing this degree is really important to him, so I’d imagine he wouldn’t wanna anything to screw the chance up.” Pete said to Mike

“Micky wants us all dressed in a disguise, but I don’t have any idea what I can wear,” Mike wondered.

“I do,” Pete answered. “Come sit here with me?” Mike joined him on the bed. Putting his arm around Pete’s waist, he started to kiss him.

“Let’s not think of that now. You reckon we’ve got time to…” he started to ask.

“No. I know what you’re thinking, and we’ve got to go out soon, and we have spent most of the last few days in here alone, we don’t wanna upset the others,” Pete answered Mike’s question before he even got chance to ask what he wanted.

“I guess you’re right. I just can’t help wanting to spend most of my time with you though.”

They were interrupted by Micky coming into their room to see if they were getting ready. “Come on, guys! Pete, get outta bed, and Mike leave him alone so he can get dressed. I’ve got your outfits all ready. Davy—” He opened the door and shouted, “Come over here.”

Micky ended up going out of the room and dragged him in. Davy was dressed in a blue and green paisley minidress, with a blonde wig and knee-high boots.

“Wow, almost didn’t recognize you there, Davy,” Mike said. “You make a pretty convincing chick. Look, the dress would be too short on anyone else.” He laughed.

“You think he’s good enough to fool people? You don’t think your father would recognize him Pete? I’ve got some makeup for him too, which could help,” Micky said while adjusting Davy’s wig.

“Dad probably won’t remember him from the last time they met. He sees a lot of young people regularly at the college, and he doesn’t pay too much attention to people who he considers beneath him.” 

“I guess we’ll have to wait and see,” Mike commented.

“All right, guys, laugh all you want. You owe me, you know, and I want something in return for this. By the way, Pete, Annie called. We’re to go to hers after the first part is done for a family get-together with your mon and dad, and she’s gonna be calling your mom soon to update her.”

“Yeah, Pete, just to help the plan work better. Fingers crossed it all works out well,” Micky stated.

They arrived at the conference building and met Jacob outside. He looked them all over, taking in the disguises: Micky’s waiter costume, Mike’s janitor outfit, with the false beard and glasses to make him look much older, and Pete and Davy as a couple of long-haired hippy students, looking like a couple as well. Micky had thought that a good idea.

“You all look…well, interesting. We need to be inside before Mr. Thorkelson gets here. I’ll find a table and sit and wait. Is there anything else you need to tell me, Micky?” Jacob asked him.

“Okay, here’s the tape recorder. You need to hide it so he doesn’t suspect, and we need to get him to reveal as much as possible about what he’s been planning with you. Get him to sign any paperwork you need, make him agree to your terms—you gotta convince him his plan has worked.”

“No problem. I think that’ll be easy enough to do, and you four will all be around so you can hear everything as well?” he asked them.

“Yeah, me and Mike will be posing as staff and Pete and Davy are gonna be at a table near you.”

Micky took two pairs of dark glasses out of his pocket. “Here you are. Put these on.” He passed them over to Davy and Pete. “You know what you’ve got to do. Just sit there and listen. Try not to react to anything they say, Pete, no matter how bad it might be.”

Not much later, Jacob sat patiently waiting at a table in a cafeteria near the conference room. He had the tape recorder hidden under his jacket on a chair next to him. Mike was going around with a broom cleaning up, and Davy and Pete were both hidden behind a magazine and a newspaper. Mr. Thorkelson arrived on time and sat in front of Jacob, looking around at the other tables and people around them.

He called over Micky, who was hanging around posing as a member of the waiting staff, and asked him to bring them two coffees.

“Morning, Jacob,” he said as he shook his hand. “Good to see you again. It’s been a while. I hope you’re well, and how is your dear mother? I must phone her to speak to her. It’s been a long time since we talked.”

“Mother’s fine, sir. She’s still working at the same school, keeping busy, and I’m good, thank you. How are Mrs. Thorkelson and Christopher?” Jacob asked. “I’ve seen Anne and Nicholas since I’ve been here.”

“Virginia is here with me, but Christopher is staying back at home with family. I want to keep him out of these family issues. Virginia is around here somewhere. You’ll be able to see her. So let’s turn to what we’re here to discuss. What’s your current progress in your assignment, Jacob?”

“Well, I’ve done exactly what you instructed of me. I resumed my friendship with Peter, gained his trust and started by putting doubts in his mind about his relationship with Michael. I’m working at a bar where his group plays three nights a week.”

“I presume this worked well? Peter has always been easily led, so you caused him to reassess his feelings for this other man You also made Michael look like he was another of Peter’s mistakes?”

“Yes, I provoked rows between them, creating friction. I gained Peter’s trust. I made it look like Michael didn’t like me and didn’t want us to be friends. I made him look dishonest and sneaky, causing trouble, and that he didn’t want me around. I think he saw me as a threat,” Jacob said.

“Very good. So your actions have worked. What is their current status?”

“They split up and as far as I’m aware, Peter has left the house they all share. He spent nights in their spare room, and even stayed over at a friend’s apartment. I do know he’s upset and confused. I’m not sure if he’s transferred his feelings onto me.”

“Well I want you to convince him there’s nothing between the two of you, and never will be, other than friendship. The last thing I want is him getting involved with another man again, and I also need to make you aware that this arrangement we have is never to be mentioned to Peter or any of my family. He must never find out. Am I making myself clear? This matter goes no further than the two of us, understand?”

“Yes, Mr. Thorkelson. He won’t hear anything from me, I promise. Can I ask you about your side of this agreement—are you going to be able to ensure my college application gets accepted? Will you sign my admission references? Here, can you do this now for me?”

“I’ll make a few phone calls and write a letter of recommendation as well. I’m sure with my help that you’ll be staring your Master’s degree here in the fall. You’ve done exactly what I required of you to my satisfaction. I’m sure you’ll do well and make an excellent educator.”

Mr. Thorkelson read through everything and signed the paperwork Jacob handed over to him.

“Thank you, Mr. Thorkelson. I’ve done everything I needed to do here as we agreed. If there’s nothing else you need, I’ll say goodbye.” Jacob stood and shook Mr Thorkelson’s hand again. He picked up his jacket and when walking away signaled to a nearby Micky that the conversation had all been caught on tape.

As Jacob walked out of the room, he passed Mrs. Thorkelson on her way in. They exchanged hellos, and as she reached her husband, the other four left the room by another exit.

They all met Jacob outside in the parking lot so he could hand the tape recorder over to Micky. “I hope this works out how you want. Do you want me at Annie’s later, too?” he asked.

“Yeah, we’ll need you there for when Pete confronts his dad. You think you can go through with this, babe?” Mike asked Pete.

“I think so. It’s gotta be done. He can’t get away with trying to mess with my life, and I wanna know exactly why he did it, and for Mom to hear everything he has to say.”

“Okay,” said Jacob. “I just need to drop off this paperwork at the college and I’ll see you all at Annie’s this afternoon. I hope this goes to your plan, Micky,” he said.

“Hey, my plans always work…well more than often… I’m sure everything will be fine,” Micky answered, looking like he was trying to convince himself more than the others.

Davy had left them briefly to go get changed. “Do you need me now for anything else, because I’ve got my date, and I don’t wanna be late meeting her. I’ll be back in time to set off for the gig.” He handed Micky the outfit he’d changed out of.

“No problem. Don’t think we need you now. See you later, Davy,” Micky answered him.

Back in the car, Micky tried the tape to make sure the recording had gone well, which it had. Mike looked over to Pete to see if he was okay.

“Everything cool, babe? Hope he didn’t upset you too much. You’ll be able to have it out with him later. Just don’t let him win, okay?”

“I know. I just wanna know why, and what else he has planned. He’ll have something else he expects of me. I know him too well, Michael, but I’m fine. I prepared myself, and I’m ready for him later too.”

“Good, babe. I’ll be there for you too afterward. He ain’t gonna come between us, Pete. No way.”

Micky decided to drive the Monkeemobile back to the pad, with Pete and Mike together in the backseat in case they need to talk more. Mike held Pete’s hand all the way home for reassurance. Once inside they all changed from the disguises and headed off to Annie’s, walking as it wasn’t far.

Mrs. Thorkelson sat beside her husband. She looked upset about something.

“Are you okay, dear?” Mr. Thorkelson asked her, trying not to give anything away.

“No, not really. I’ve just been chatting with Anne on the telephone. She told me Peter’s at her house—he’s left his home and seems quite traumatized. It looks like he’s split with his partner, the young Texan man. Michael, I think his name is,” she said. “I’m glad I’m here for him.”

He just nodded and acknowledged her, letting her continue what she was saying.

“This isn’t good, as we were going to Anne’s this afternoon for tea, when you’ve finished. I was hoping this would be a happy occasion. She arranged this with us being in LA and wanted to reconcile the family. My mother, Nicholas and Claire are going to be there as well,” she said. “I’ll try to talk to Peter on his own, see if we can do anything to help. By the way I just passed Jacob Parker on the way in—did you see him?”

“Yes, this news is really bad. Yes, I spoke to him briefly. He’s in LA applying to colleges to do his Master’s degree. I told him we must catch up with his mother sometime. It’s been a while since we saw her, before she lost her husband.”

“Oh yes, that’s thoughtful of you. I’ll call her when we’re back home. We could invite her to stay? Maybe a change of scenery would do her good.”

“Yes, you do that, dear, but enough about their family. We’ll go see Anne this afternoon and give Peter our support. I’m sure everything will be fine,” he replied, hiding a smug grin. “Excuse me for a while, dear. I’ll meet you back at the hotel later. Why don’t you go and spend some time with your mother? Why don’t you go shopping for something for Anne’s children?”

He handed over some money to her. “Have lunch too. Excuse me for now, though. I’ll see you later. I have some important calls that I need to make right this minute.”


	20. Chapter 20

Later in the afternoon, Pete, Mike, Micky and Jacob were all at Annie’s, along with Christine, Nick and Claire, all waiting for the arrival of Mrs. Straus and Mr. and Mrs. Thorkelson.

Annie and Claire had been busy baking and preparing lots of different food: cakes, cookies, sandwiches, Jell-O and cool whip. Annie got in some beer and soda, set out on a table in the dining room. She dressed the twins in some new outfits that their gran had bought.

Micky was already eyeing up the food and had managed to sneak a few cookies before Mike gave him a slap on the hand. “Hey, come on, can’t you wait a bit? You had lunch not too long ago, Mick.”

“I’m glad the twins are quiet and on their best behavior today. I don’t want them to annoy Dad, because he isn’t gonna be happy when you lot have finished with him. When he starts on you, Pete, just keep your calm. I’ll be here for you. Remember that.”

“Pete, Micky, Jacob and I are gonna hide in the downstairs bedroom until we’re needed. Why don’t you take him outside to talk? Just the two of you on your own might be easier.”

“Yeah, that probably would be for best,” Annie answered Mike.

Suddenly there was a knock at the front door. Nick went to answer it, whilst Mike, Micky and Jacob went into the downstairs bedroom. Annie handed some sodas and a bag of chips to Micky and said she’d knock to let them know when to come out.

Nick came in with Mrs. Straus and his parents, showing them into the living room. Mrs. Straus and Mrs. Thorkelson went straight to the twins, picking one up each. Virginia took Dylan to Mr. Thorkelson to show him his grandson but he didn’t seem too interested, indicating to Annie to come over and sit with them.

“Anne, it’s good to see you. I hope you’ve been keeping well, and it’s good you’ve been hospitable to Nicholas and Claire while they are visiting. Your grandmother has been keeping us updated.”

“With news of the twins,” his wife continued. “They’re beautiful—they both have a look of you. How’s their health? They seem a good weight. Would you like to hold Dylan?” she asked her husband.

He declined so she handed him to Annie and went over to Pete. “How are you, Peter? Annie told me that you split up with Michael and moved in here. I’m sorry to hear about that. If there’s anything your father or I can do to help, you only have to ask,” she said.

“I’d rather not talk about it right now, Mom. It’s still too raw. I’m really upset over everything. I thought this relationship was serious and going to last. I’m gonna go and sit outside for a while. Sorry, I want to be on my own.” Pete walked out and sat in the patio area.

“How’s he been?” Virginia asked Annie.

“Not good, Mom. He’s still in shock. Heartbroken, I’d say. He’s cried a lot and he’s confused too. With Jacob being back, he’s unsure of his feelings for him. No-one expected him to turn up,” she said.

“John, why don’t you go and talk to Peter? See if you can get through to him, help him?”

“Of course I will, dear. I’ll try my best to get through to him, make him understand that things like this happen for a reason, and things will improve in time.”

Mr. Thorkelson went outside and sat in a chair beside Peter, looking straight at him, trying to access what kind of mood he was in before he started to talk to him.

“Listen, Peter, this split…things like this happen a lot. It was only your first serious relationship—you’ll have other chances to meet someone. People rarely stay with their first partner,” he said.

“Nick has. He and Claire have been together since high school, and they knew each other before that. They’re getting married now. So it can happen. I still love him, Dad, but I just don’t know what to do. Jacob being around is making me question myself, wonder what would have happened if we’d got together.”

“It would have never worked out. You and Jacob are both quite alike, well-educated, from a good, stable family, unlike Michael… wasn’t he brought up by just his mother? He had no father figure around—he’s not the type of person our family would normally mix with.”

“Michael was brought up well by his mother. He even served in the air force! You never gave him a chance. You could have got to know him,” Pete said, looking disappointed.

“Well, that doesn’t matter now, does it, son? We have no reason to see him again, and I’d suggest you do the same. I hear you’ve moved out of the house too. That’s a good thing. The group you were in never really had many future plans—you could have gone into a different kind of music if you’d finished your degree, or even gone into education. Nicholas has good future prospects.”

“That wasn’t anything I really wanted. I couldn’t cope at college. You sent me to one where you went. I had to try and live up to your reputation. I couldn’t do that.”

“Well after your mother told me about your current situation, I called a few friends, and the University of Connecticut is willing to accept you in the fall. You could do English and Music, finish the education you started. Your mother could even use you as a research assistant—she’s teaching there too now—or I could get you another job locally,” his father informed him.

“I’m not sure what I want at the moment,” Pete answered.

“Well, there’s not much left for you here now. I can get you a flight to come home with me and your mother. A fresh start away from here will do you good. You could visit Anne, or we could try and persuade her to move nearer to home. I’ve heard Christine is from New York—that’s not too far. I’ve even called your old psychologist. He’s still working and can give you any emotional help you need. We’ll get you sorted out and you’ll soon forget Michael ever existed or was ever in your life.”

“Dad, I don’t want to forget him. I still love him, even after what’s happened.”

“Peter, getting far away from him will make you forget! Remember Emily Woods? You went to high school with her? She often asks about how you are. She’s still single—even works at the university library. She really liked you. I’m sure dating her would take your mind off things. She’s from a good local family, has a good job, and is a very pleasant-looking young woman. Your mother and I would love more grandchildren and I’m sure she’ll make an excellent mother.”

“Father, what are you trying to do?” Pete asked.

“Trying to help you! You’ve made a mess of your life out here. We’ll help you when you come back home. You could get an apartment nearby, if you don’t want to move into the family home.”

“I don’t want to move back east. What makes you think that I’d be doing that?”

“Peter, you’re a smart young man—you can do so much better with your life. Do you really think you can make a future out here playing music in a group? Music could be a hobby for you, or you could teach it. You just need to grow up. I’m trying to help you sort your life out. Can’t you see what’s good for you, for once in your life? Just listen to me. I know what’s best for you.”

“You don’t. I don’t want to be like you—you did what grandfather expected of you, but times have changed, and I want to live my life as I want. I have a good life here. I’m very happy.”

Pete noticed the other guys. Annie and his mom were now standing by the patio windows. This gave him an extra boost of confidence. His dad was facing him and hadn’t noticed so he decided to make the most of his advantage.

Pete started to explain. He wanted to make his father see what he wanted. “Father, I have my whole life out here, my hopes and dreams, my friends and Michael…I’m never gonna give that up for you!”

His father turned and noticed Pete was looking at something behind him. He looked shocked to see his wife, Nick, Annie, Micky, Jacob and Mike standing there listening to them. He stood and looked straight at them all.”

Pete stood, pulled Mike close to him, and took his hand in his. “We know exactly what you tried to do, Father,” Pete said.

His father looked over at his wife who seemed confused. He blustered a little, then turned back to Pete. “Prove it. I haven’t been doing anything!” he claimed angrily.

“We have proof…here,” Pete said. Jacob put the tape recorder down on the table and pressed Play…but nothing happened, and he looked worried, making his dad calm down, his expression soon changing to smug. 

Mike picked the tape machine up. “Let’s just try this—something from my air force days, called a percussive tap. Or, in other words, give it a bang. There you go!”

The tape started to play the conversation Jacob and Peter’s father had had earlier.

“Listen, son…” Mr. Thorkelson started to panic and act a little flustered. “I only did all this for your own good. You’re easily led and can’t seem to sort your own life out. As I said before, it’s a mess. Coming back with your mother and me is for the best.”

Mrs. Thorkelson stood between her son and husband, looking shocked and saddened by what she’d heard. “I’m really sorry, Peter. I’ll apologize for your father because it doesn’t look like he’s willing to. I can’t believe what you’ve done! And how could you get involved in something like this, Jacob? But at least you eventually saw the error of your ways.”

“I’m sorry, Mrs. Thorkelson. I knew what I did in this was wrong. I realized before things went too far. Mike and Pete know about everything I’ve done, and we’ve come to an understanding between us.”

“That’s good to know. I had no part in any of this, Peter. I had no idea what your father was planning.” She came over and gave him a hug. “Annie, I’m sorry that this has spoiled your afternoon, but I think it’s best if we leave.” She said this as she stared at her husband who wasn’t showing any emotion. “We need to talk when we get back to the hotel.” She came back in and phoned for a cab, which soon arrived and the Thorkelsons left with Mrs. Straus.

After they’d left, the rest of them finished off the food. Micky was given some things to take home for later, after explaining he’d missed Annie’s cooking, and she even packed a few items up for them to take for Davy.

Christine explained how she’d called Ronnie and that they were all going to have a small private party in the back room at the club after the group had finished playing, and the club closed, Vicky had agreed to watch the twins upstairs in the flat for Annie so she could go, which meant everyone could be there. Coco and David were going to be there. Mike thought this was a good idea. It’d help things get back to normal after the mess of the last week.

The guys went home and showered and changed. Davy had arrived and they soon packed up the car and headed off for their usual Saturday night set at the club. The club was busier than normal as there was a group of chicks having a bachelorette party. They were quite lively, and Davy wished he hadn’t invited his date, as a few of them seemed interested in him.

Gemma, the quiet chick Micky had met before, turned up on her own to see them play. She even offered to buy him a drink after their first set. They sat together and had a good chat. Mike was watching them, hoping for Micky’s sake that she would treat him right after the mess with Cathy, but she seemed to act like she wasn’t interested in anyone else, even laughing at Micky’s stupid jokes.

In between sets, Annie went up to check on the twins. They were both settled. Vicky had fed, bathed and changed them too. “They seem to like you, Vicky. Thanks for this,” Annie said.

“It’s no problem. It’s actually my pleasure. This is something I’ll never have. I’d love to have a baby, but that’s not gonna happen,” Vicky said.

“I’m glad I’ve had them. They were a big surprise, but I wouldn’t change it for the world. I’m sure you could have a baby. I’ve got two female friends who are a couple and one of them is pregnant.”

“Yes, I’ve known a lesbian couple who had children—friends helped them out with sperm donation, but I wonder if it could get complicated, and I don’t know what Ronnie would think, if I put the idea to her. I don’t know if she wants a family.”

***

Downstairs, the band’s second set went down better as the group of girls were getting everyone on the dance floor. They’d definitely had a few drinks and intended to have a good time. One of the chicks even tried to get onstage and grab Davy for a kiss, which gained him an angry stare from his date.

Gemma stayed until after they’d finished, and asked Micky if he’d like to go to the drive-in with her the next day. She had her own car and could pick him up from the pad. He agreed and she’d said she’d pick him up after lunch the next day. After she left, he joined the others in the back room.

Pete had gone upstairs to get Annie to come downstairs for the party, and Micky came over to Mike.

“Hey, I think Gemma’s a nice chick, but I promise I won’t rush into anything this time. We’re going to the drive-in tomorrow, and she bought me drinks too.”

“She sounds cool, Mick. Hope it all goes well for you this time,” Mike answered.

Pete and Annie were down about ten minutes later and Pete came over with a beer for Mike. He had a Coke. Jacob was serving behind the bar for them. “You okay, Michael?” Pete asked.

“Fine, babe. Things are good, don’t you think? I’m proud of you how you dealt with your dad. Your mom was pretty angry with him. I sure wouldn’t want to be him right now.”

“I surprised myself too, but don’t worry, Michael. No-one will come between us again. Sorry I went straight upstairs. I wanted to check on the twins. I really miss having them around in the pad—it just doesn’t feel the same without them.”

“Well, they’re not too far away. It’s gonna be their naming ceremony soon, isn’t it? You know, I think you’d make a good dad. You’re a natural with the babies,” Mike told him.

“I was thinking the same about you! I’d love to see you as a father. You’re like it a little with the others, but a child of your own would be cool…and twins seem to run in our family…if only…”

“Strangers things have happened,” Mike replied.

“Hey, that would make a groovy album title, Michael.” Peter put his arm around Mike’s waist cuddling up close to him, showing his dimpled smile.

Mike stared into Pete’s eyes, thinking, _Good idea for a plan too…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone for reading and thanks once more to Laurenstdavid for her help and encouragement


End file.
